I Want You
by angel718
Summary: I want you so bad it's driving me mad.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.: I am quite an idiot, aren't I? The absolute last thing I need right now is another fic on my plate. Still, I couldn't help it...****It takes place before Pru and Max leave. Sadie hasn't been signed yet, and Lucy and Jude are still living in the apartment with everyone else. Just so it's clear. **

**Ah, also, I haven't seen this movie in ages, so anything that doesn't fit, let's just pretend that's artistic liscence, shall we? Thanks, loves.**

**One more thing. (Sorry, I realize this is the longest author's note EVER): I wasn't about to type out British accents. I suck at that stuff. Use your imaginations.**

And no, ATU isn't mine. I'm flattered that you'd think so, though. Here's your chappie.

"Hey, Jude! Phone!" Sadie bellowed.

Jude furrowed his brow and pulled away from his girlfriend, Lucy. "What? Who is it?"

Sadie shrugged and held out the phone. "Find out yourself, babe."

"Hello?"

"Judey! Didja miss me?" The familiar voice made Jude smile, surprised.

"Jess? Is that you?" Lucy stiffened a little at the female name, but convinced herself that it was nothing stayed silent.

"Good to know that you at least recognize your dear, beloved cousin's voice. I was starting to think you'd forgotten me."

"I couldn't possibly forget you," he assured her, laughing. "And I'm sorry. How are you?" Lucy shot him a glare now, but she didn't speak.

"Fabulously wonderful, coming to visit."

"Come again?"

"Well, not necessarily, if you don't want to see me, but I'm coming over the pond anyway, so I really may as well. Incidentally, Jude, what happened to writing every other week? I had to dig out one of your ancient letters to find this number."

He laughed quietly at her high-spirited words. "Sorry. Truly. I've been busy. But what'd you mean? When are you coming?"

"Tomorrow," she replied promptly, "but I'm not just going to show up at your door. I've got a place to stay."

"Where are you staying?" Jude didn't bother trying to hide his slight concern.

"Well, actually, I'm not entirely sure, but I'm not worried about it, so you shouldn't be, either," she assured him.

"Yeah, but I don't want you staying in some sleazy motel." Jude froze as an idea struck him. "Wait a tick. Sadie?"

"Yeah?" The red-haired rocker walked in from the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel as she moved.

"Got me baby cousin on the phone. She's coming to New York, but she doesn't know where she's gonna stay. You think we could fit her in?"

Sadie shrugged. "I think so. Definitely, if Pru doesn't mind sharing a room with her. Hang on. Pru!" She shouted in the direction of Prudence's bedroom.

The attractive Vietnamese girl appeared at the door, blinking at the bright light. "Yeah?"

"You mind sharing a room with Jude's cousin?"

Prudence shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Thanks a lot, Pru." Jude smiled at her. She grinned back and walked the rest of the way into the room, flopping into an armchair.

"Well, there you go. How old is she?" Sadie added as an afterthought.

"Eighteen. Not a baby, I guess," Jude admitted ruefully. "Thanks, Sade. Oy, Jess."

"Yeah?"

"You want to stay with me 'n my friends?"

A short pause. "You're serious? No one minds?"

"Ah, good point. Hang on." Jude turned to Lucy. "You don't mind, do you, Luce?"

Lucy, having realized that Jess was not, in fact, a possessive ex-girlfriend of Jude's, shook her head. "Of course not."

"JoJo won't care, you know how relaxed he is, and Max…well, we all know Max." Sadie shrugged. "You're set, hon."

"Yeah, thanks." Jude repeated, returning his attention to the phone. "You're clear, Jess."

"Lovely. Thank everyone for me. Would you mind collecting me tomorrow?"

"Not at all. When and where?"

"Seven in the evening, your time." She named the airport, thanked him again, and yawned. "I've gotta go. Love you, Judey."

"You, too." He hung up and turned to Lucy. "Sorry about all that, love, but I haven't talked to her or written her in at least a month."

"It's alright, but I guess you'll just have to make it up to me, won't you?" she suggested boldly, smiling.

"I guess I will." Max, of course, chose that precise moment to come bursting in from the bathroom, hair still damp from his recent shower.

"What'd I miss?" He asked, having heard the phone ring, oblivious to the fact that he was interrupting a would-be intimate moment.

Sadie, being much more aware of her surroundings than Max, spoke in Jude's place. "Jude's cousin is coming to stay."

"Oh, really? Why didn'tcha tell me, Judey?" he asked, clearly not at his most sober as he perched on the arm of the couch.

Jude smiled at the increasingly familiar nickname. "Just found out now, mate."

"Oh. Cool." Max ambled into the kitchen, completely unperturbed.

_**It won't be long…**_

Jess blew a wayward strand of hair out of her eyes and flopped onto her bed. This was perfect. Her parents had been on her back more and more lately about going to university.

Since she had no idea what she wanted to study, the idea of a year off before beginning was an extremely appealing one. She'd told them she wanted to go to the States for a year, and they'd disapproved. Going to live with Jude would be absolutely perfect. Her parents trusted him like he was her older brother, which was ideal. She would go regardless of whether her parents approved, but she wanted as little mess as possible.

She sighed and walked downstairs, wanting to get the scene that was sure to occur out of the way. "Mum?"

"Yes, darling?"

The best course of action would be to blurt it all out like it was a done deal. She'd had plenty of practice at things like this. Still, never with anything quite so huge, which explained why she needed to take a few calming breaths before speaking. "I'm going to New York to stay with Jude."

Her mother's face instantly became stern. "Jessica, we have discussed this."

She flinched at the use of her full name, but pushed on. "Not really. I don't know what I want to study, Mum. Taking a year off would let me think it through and decide on what would be best for me."

"And I suppose you're saying that your father and I have no say in this."

"It's my life. Shouldn't it be my decision?"

"You're not mature enough to make such decisions. America is a world away, and it's nothing like what you're used to."

"I'm staying with _Jude_, for God's sake. How much trouble could I possibly get into?"

"Jude has his own life. You can't expect him to just take you in."

"Did it even occur to you that Jude _invited _me? Because he did."

"Well, we'll discuss it further when your father gets home."

"We can discuss it all we want, but no matter what you say, I'm going. I've got the plane ticket, and Jude's ready and willing to collect me from the airport. I'd just prefer to have your blessing before I actually leave."

She shook her head. "Jess, you have no idea what it's like over there. You'll only end up getting hurt, and I can't just let my only child go off into certain disaster!"

Jess sighed and reached for her mother. "Please, mum, it's not certain disaster. I swear to you, I'll write every week…I'll call as much as I can. Just…please accept this. It's what I want to do."

"I never though you were actually serious. I really would rather you not go, but I suppose if you've already bought the plane ticket…it would be a waste of money not to allow you to go. But you better write at _least_ once a week."

Jess planted a kiss on her forehead. "I will, I swear. I love you, mum." And she walked back to her room to finish packing.

**_It won't be long…_**

"Do you want me to come with you?" Lucy queried, running a brush through her hair.

"I do, love, but as I haven't seen the girl in months, it may be a bit off-putting for her to meet you right away. You know?"

"Right, that makes sense," she admitted, giving him a quick hug. "You should probably be going, then."

He kissed her forehead and shoved his key into his pocket. "I'm going to get Jess!" he bellowed as the door slammed shut behind him.

Jess, meanwhile, stared around the crowded airport, desperately seeking Jude. Unfortunately, she couldn't seem to find him. _Why did I pack so much? _She wondered, staring at her two heavy suitcases. Sighing, she dragged them out of the way, leaning against a wall so that she could see everyone who passed by.

After about five minutes, she saw a very familiar face. "_Jude!_" No way was he going to get himself lost in this crowd. No bloody way. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "_Jude Feeney!_"

He turned, and his whole face lit up. "Jess!" He jogged over and gathered her into a bone-crushing hug. "You look wonderful."

"Thank you. I've missed you so much!" She exclaimed, still hanging on a bit.

"Did you do something different?" He asked, brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what, exactly, was unfamiliar about his cousin.

"Yes." She tossed her head. "Blond highlights." He recognized it now, the dark blond highlights running through her chocolate brown hair. "You like?"

"I do." He grinned. "You ready?"

"If you take my bags, most definitely."

"Yes, ma'am." He laughed and did so.

"I'm so excited!" She actually bounced up and down a bit as he hailed a cab. "So, Jude, spill."

"Spill what?" Jude looked vaguely nervous at Jess's tone.

"Who is she? I heard _all about _you ditching Molly. The girl wouldn't shut up about it, and you _know_ how I feel about her, so I better get some details."

"Ah, when you put it that way it sounds awful."

"It should, considering that I can't stand the chit."

"Jess…"

"What? You ditched her! How protective could you possibly be?" Jess demanded, climbing into the waiting cab.

"But I dated her," he chided gently, laying her suitcases on the floor, "and I do care about her."

"Right, right, sorry, then." She waved her hand, completely unbothered. "So, who is she? I got next to nothing about her from your awful letters."

"You'll meet her in ten minutes. Can't you wait that long?"

"No. And if you won't tell me, I just won't speak to you." Jess folded her arms and turned toward the window mock-angrily.

"But you haven't spoken to me in months." Jude pouted.

"Which is totally and completely your fault. So you'll just have to suffer my wrathful silence until I get to meet your new woman." She meant it, remaining silent for a good three minutes before he finally gave in.

"Alright, alright." He sighed. "Her name's Lucy."

A pause. "Great. And? I remember getting _that _much."

"And she's gorgeous."

"Hm. That's honestly the first thing you think of when you think about her?"

"She's also sweet and fun, and I'm sure you'll like her, you nosy cow." He teased.

She grinned and leaned against Jude. "I expect that's all I'm getting from you, so I'll give up, yeah?"

"Well, we're nearly there, so you haven't much longer to wait."

"Which is why I'm even speaking to you at the mo." She stuck her tongue out at him.

He chose not to inform her that technically, she had been speaking to him pretty much the entire ride. With Jess, he knew, it really made no difference. The cab pulled to a stop and he raised his eyebrows.

"See? Home, sweet home." He intoned, grabbing her bags again.

She squeaked slightly. "Oh, God, I just realized that I know nothing about these people."

"You'll be fine." Jude promised, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "They're great. Plus, you're family, so they'll be good." He thought about this for a moment. _Probably_, he added to himself with a small smirk, thinking of Max.

"Ah, great. Very comforting." Jess seemed to have sensed his unspoken thoughts. She lifted her hair briefly, feeling around for a rubber band before deciding that it wasn't worth it. Then she took one of her bags from Jude and headed for the door to the apartment complex, entering ahead of him.

"Elevator's that way," Jude gestured with his now-bag-free hand and passed her, leading the way.

"Wait, okay, I've got a question. How many people live here?"

"Where we're staying? Me, Luce, Max, Pru—you're bunking with her—Sadie, and JoJo."

"Lord." She laughed, tipping her head back to stare at the ceiling. "Good thing I like meeting people."

"Good thing you don't mind sharing." He added, it seemed to her, a bit ominously.

"What do you mean?" She asked, a bit warily, as he dug around for his key.

"Seven people living in one apartment can get a bit messy." He replied, successfully locating his key and unlocking the door. "Oy! We're here."

"Hey, hon," said the pretty redhead who came over to investigate at Jude's words, "you must be Jess. I'm Sadie." She extended her hand.

Jess took it and smiled. "Thanks very much for letting me stay here. It's lovely to meet you." As she followed Sadie the rest of the way into the apartment, she discovered that what looked like the rest of its tenants had gathered in the first room she saw, including a pretty blond whose arm was around Jude's waist. When she saw Jess, she separated herself from the Limey and beamed.

"I'm Lucy. Lucy Carrigan. Great to meet you." She, too, shook Jess's hand.

"And you," Jess commented, taking in as much about the blond as she could. She wasn't the best with first impressions, but the girl already seemed a better match for her cousin than Molly. A guy who looked like the male version of Lucy grinned up at her from an armchair.

"I'm Max, Luce's older, wiser brother." He raised his eyebrows and smirked to indicate his sarcasm, lifting his hand in a greeting wave.

"Wiser, yeah?" Jess laughed. "Glad to meet you. Ah, and before I get meself into trouble, sorry, but believe it or not, I know next to nothing about any of you. Dear Judey over there hasn't written in ages, so if I say something stupid, do forgive me and blame him. Just thought I'd get that out before I have the chance to put me foot into me mouth."

Max snorted. "I like this girl."

"Hey, Carrigan, that's my baby cousin you know," teased Jude.

Jess threw him a mock-dirty look. "_Baby_ cousin, Jude? Come, now."

"Anyway…" a Vietnamese girl appeared from around the corner, her hand extended, "I'm Prudence. I think you're rooming with me, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks a lot for that, by the way."

Prudence waved this off. "It's nothing. C'mon, it's this way." As she led Jess through the apartment, she tapped a door and spoke again. "That's the bathroom, but JoJo's in the shower, so if you wanted to put your stuff in there…well, technically you could go in anyway. It doesn't lock." She smirked mischievously.

Jess giggled. "That's alright, I think I can manage."

Prudence shrugged. "Your choice. This is my—our room." She corrected herself, opening a door and ushering her through it. "Unpack whenever you feel like."

Jess nodded. "I get the feeling I should probably do it now, but I really don't feel like it."

"Then don't. Sadie and JoJo've got a gig at Café Huh at nine, we're all going. You'd only get into the middle of unpacking and have to leave. Unless you don't want to go." She regarded Jess quizzically.

"No, I'd like to go."

"Drop that somewhere. It's all good." Prudence left the room without further ado.

Jess blinked and set her suitcase on the floor, wondering vaguely what Jude had done with the other one. Deciding it didn't matter, she slipped back into the main room. "Max, shouldn't you take it a little easier?" Lucy questioned, tapping her brother's beer bottle.

"Luce. C'mon. I've got a few months left to enjoy my freedom, and if that means I get as drunk as possible as often as I can, then there you go."

She shook her head but didn't respond.

Jess couldn't help staring at Max as she puzzled over his meaning. It didn't hurt that he was drop-dead gorgeous, with mussed blond hair and clear blue eyes. She always had had a thing for guys with blue eyes…

"What?" He asked, his head tilted.

_Ah. Damn._ "Sorry." She blushed. "Didn't mean to overhear…or stand here staring at you…"

"'S'alright," he laughed, "I just wanted to see if there was a particular reason."

"Well…no. Actually, I didn't realize I was even staring, it's just, I heard something about leaving in a few months, and I wondered…?" Honestly, she wasn't surprised that she'd already embarrassed herself, but she _did _wish she could speak like a normal human being despite her slight mortification.

"Drafted." He replied simply.

"Oh. God. Sorry." She blurted, dropping onto a chair.

He shrugged. "No big deal."

"You want anything to drink, hon?" Sadie interjected, swooping in with a hasty change of subject.

Jess shot her an extremely grateful look. "Er…no thanks." She did, sort of, but she'd just answered with the first thing that had entered her head, as was typical when she got flustered.

"Alright. Well, JoJo and I are gonna get goin'. This is JoJo, by the way." Sadie gestured to the tall, gentle-looking black man standing beside her.

"Hey." JoJo smiled and waved from his position next to Sadie.

"Hey." She returned the grin. "Good luck to both of you."

"Thanks." Sadie replied, blowing kisses to the rest of the apartment's inhabitants. "See y'all later."

"Looking forward to it, Sade," Max responded, winking at her. She just laughed and followed JoJo out the door.

"So, Jess, you're from Liverpool too?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah." Jess tried another smile. Okay. So this was just slightly awkward, but she guessed she hadn't expected anything different from a load of strangers. Lucy was at least making an effort.

"Well done, Luce," Max cut in lazily. "See, the accent's what gave it away for me. What was your first hint?"

"Shut up." She seized one of Jude's t-shirts from between the couch cushions and hurled it at him.

"Do I even want to know how that ended up there?" Max cocked an eyebrow saucily.

"I think you can put two and two together, mate." Jude smirked at his friend.

"Oh, God, okay, as wonderful as it is to hear about my cousin's sex life, that's just a little too much information." Jess announced, wincing.

"Sorry." Jude got up and ruffled her hair. "Forgot for a moment. You coming to Sadie's gig?"

"Wouldn't miss it. Prudence told me she had one tonight, and I've been dying to hear her. I remember you telling me she had a band in the one of the two letters you sent since you got here." She looked around for a minute. "Where'd Prudence go, anyway?"

"She barricaded herself into the bathroom the second JoJo got out. She likes to sex it up for Sadie's stuff."

"Wow, Max." Jude smirked at his friend.

"Well, she asked, and it's not like I'm lying or anything. I don't blame Pru for wanting to look hot."

"I did ask." Jess agreed, stretching. "Gotta hand it to you, Max—at least you're honest."

"Damn right." Max saluted her with his near-empty bottle. "You want one?"

Jude gasped melodramatically. "Are you actually being hospitable?"

Max flipped him off and returned his attention to Jess, his question still posed in the air.

"Sure," she said decisively, "but you don't have to get up. I'll get it."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I need another one anyway." He got to his feet.

"Hey, Max…don't you think you should at least wait until we get there? I have a feeling Sadie would prefer it if you at least remembered a few of the songs tonight." The edge of sarcasm in Lucy's voice made her seem less prudish than her words implied.

"Ah, relax, ma. I left her home, Luce, remember?" He sighed. "Alright, I'll just get Jess's." She smiled at him, getting the impression that Lucy was the only one to whom Max would truly listen.

She heard a lid pop, and Max strolled back into the room, fingers wrapped around the neck of a condensation-covered bottle. "Thanks." She took a quick sip and yawned. Alcohol always relaxed her, and she'd had quite the exhausting day.

"We should get going once Pru's ready." Jude announced, getting up and pecking Lucy on the forehead. She smiled up at him a little sappily, but Jess found that, strangely, she didn't care half as much as she had when she'd seen him with Molly. She guessed it was that Molly had complained _so_ _damn much_ about _everything_, and she'd never seemed half as sincere as Lucy did in her affections for Jude—just possessive.

She snapped out of her daydreams and returned to the present. "Want me to go get her?" She had already gotten to her feet, wanting to get as well acquainted with the apartment and its tenants as possible.

"Sure." Lucy smiled.

Jess took another swig of beer and sauntered in the direction of the room. _Ah, crap_. "Which door is it?"

Max peered after her and laughed. "You're right in front of it."

"Ah. Right." Blushing faintly, she rapped on the door. "Prudence?"

"Yeah?"

"I think we're leaving soon. You almost ready?"

"Mmhm." The door clicked and opened, and Prudence exited, running a brush through her hair one final time. She chucked it over her shoulder, closing the door behind it. "Alright, c'mon." They walked back to the room in silence. _I never was good at breaking the ice_.

"Ready, Pru? Jess?" Jude helped Lucy to her feet with a smile as they nodded.

"'M I gonna have to finish this before we leave?" Jess inquired, holding her bottle aloft. "I hate drinking fast."

"Probably." Jude winced sympathetically. "Most cabbies don't let you bring alcohol in."

"Big tough boss man has a problem with it. He doesn't want drunken tourists spilling their drinks on the oh-so-expensive 'fabric'." Max elaborated, smirking. "'Course, if someone's got something, I'm not gonna make them finish it before they're ready."

"Yeah, well, that's you. I've had to finish my drinks plenty often before I'm ready." Jude commented.

"Here, give it to me." Max held out his hand. "I'll hide it under my shirt. They'd notice if you did it, since you're a girl and all, but I doubt they'll even look twice at me. I'll give it back to you once we get in."

She snorted. "You really don't think they'll notice?"

"If they do, it won't be until we're already in. What're they gonna do, stop driving and kick us out?"

"Good point." She passed it over and followed the others out the door.

Once they'd gotten into the cab, Max uncovered the bottle and gave it back to her. "See?" He whispered. "He has no idea what's going on back here."

"Cheers," she whispered back, saluting him like he'd done earlier and taking a long sip. "You want some?"

"Really?" He seemed incredulous that she was willing to share her drink with a virtual stranger.

"Yeah." She shrugged. "I'm no germophobe."

"Cheers," he repeated, taking a drink. "I have a feeling we'll get along fine."

"I'm gonna have to agree with you there." She glanced over at Jude, who was murmuring something into Lucy's ear, and shook her head. "Good thing I didn't actually expect to spend time with the bloke tonight."

He followed her gaze and smirked. "In the middle of a cab, Judey? Isn't that slightly indecent?"

Jude's response most certainly would have made Jess's mother have a slight coronary; she only burst into hysterical laughter. "Ah, Lord. Thank God Mum hasn't heard you talk in a few months, or I might not be here. She still thinks you're trustworthy, see."

"Max is a special case." Jude answered innocently.

"Okay, Jude." Her tone dripped sarcasm as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat.

"Tired?" Max asked.

"God, yeah. I'm thinking jet lag's what's going on right about now. Which is kind of odd, considering it's only about four back home…" She realized suddenly that she was babbling and shut up.

Max didn't seem to have noticed. "That sucks." He looked over to the corner of the cab and scooted toward the dark shadow huddled there. "Y'alright over there, Pru?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Just thinking," she answered softly.

He moved all the way over and wrapped his arms around the petite Vietnamese girl. "Smile for me, Pru."

She obliged, leaning her head against his shoulder as the cab pulled to a stop.

"We're here." Jude announced for his cousin's benefit.

"Thanks, Judey. No one noticed that we stopped moving."

"Any time, Jess."

**AN 2: Yeah. It wasn't supposed to be this long, but I thought the chapter was boring if I cut it beforehand. What do you think? I wasn't sure about some of my characterizations. (Lucy, mainly.) Do tell.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you so much to my amazing reviewers, especially TakeMeOrLeaveMe2010—your support means so much! I've done my best with the Brit stuff. Ah, by the way, I know that Café Huh actually isn't really the way I described it. Call it artistic license, 'kay? By the way, ATU? So not mine. **

She opened her eyes and rolled her head back, cracking her neck before she climbed out, her beer still held loosely in her left hand. Almost involuntarily, she glanced over at Max and Prudence. He still had his arm around her, and she was laughing. She wondered briefly if they were dating. Once the thought had occurred to her, she quickly turned away, willing herself not to get caught staring again. Try though she might to act blasé about all this, she was absolutely intrigued by these people. They were nothing like her friends back home, and it was a strange, though refreshing change.

The first things she noticed about Café Huh were a) the huge amounts of people crowding the floor, tables, and bar, and b) the multicolored hazes of smoke that filled the air, stinging her eyes. Absolutely nothing like Liverpool.

Jude seemed to notice her hesitation, because he came over and touched her shoulder. "You alright?" he shouted over the warm-up music, "It's a bit overwhelming the first time, yeah?"

"Just a bit," she agreed with a small grin, "but I'm fine."

"C'mon. They've found us a table," he observed. She took the empty seat on Max's left, allowing Jude and Lucy to sit together on the other side of the table.

They didn't even have the time to converse before: "Look," Lucy exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the stage, "they're getting started."

"Oh!" Smiling with anticipation, Jess turned toward the stage.

Sadie had strutted out onstage and was adjusting her microphone as JoJo started an impressive guitar riff. As the café exploded with cheers, Sadie began to sing.

"_Ooh I need your love babe,  
Guess you know it's true.  
Hope you need my love babe,  
Just like I need you.  
Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.  
Ain't got nothin' but love babe,  
Eight days a week."_

"Oh, my God," Jess managed. Sadie was…amazing. There was a power and passion to her voice that she'd never heard before. She found herself dancing a bit in her seat as a rather drunk (high?) Prudence dragged an equally drunk and/or high Max onto the dance floor, laughing hysterically and cementing into Jess's head the notion that they were a couple.

"_Love you ev'ry day boy,  
Always on my mind.  
One thing I can say boy,  
Love you all the time.  
Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.  
Ain't got nothin' but love babe,  
Eight days a week."_

"Go dance!" She ordered, jabbing a finger at Jude. "You can't sit this out!"

"Come with us," Lucy suggested, smiling.

"No, no, I'm not interrupting you. Don't worry about me, loves."

"We don't want to leave you on your own, though, and Max seems too intent on forgetting as much of his life as possible to be polite. Get up," Jude ordered, a playful smile tugging his lips.

She sighed loudly. It was clear that, while Jude really meant it, and Lucy _did_ want to get to know her better, she also just wanted to dance with her boyfriend. Under no circumstances would she get in the way of that. "I want to go get meself something fruity and alcoholic anyway. Jude, go dance with your girlfriend before I blow a bloody fit. I'll catch up with you later. I promise."

"Alright, alright," Jude gave in and led Lucy out onto the crowded floor.

Jess laughed for a moment, and then gradually realized that she'd just chucked every hope of decent human interaction out the window. She wanted to _know_ the people she'd be living with for undeterminable amounts of time, and she couldn't do that if she'd just sent them away. _Bugger it, I can't win, can I?_ _Alright_. _Fine._ Drawing in a deep breath, she threw back her hair and got to her feet, half walking, half dancing toward the bar as Sadie finished her song. She joined in the enthusiastic applause and then sat at the bar, pondering what she wanted to drink.

Two beers and about an hour later, Jess had forced her way directly into the middle of the gyrating crowd in search of any one of her apartment-mates. This would have been much easier were she not stopping roughly every five seconds to join in with the dancing. At the moment, her dance partner was a tall, muscular brunette who seemed to have absolutely no limitations whatsoever. This became abundantly clear when, halfway through their dance, he attempted to put his hand on her bum.

Slightly over her limit though she was, this would not fly. At all. She caught his eye and shook her head firmly, deciding that this was easier than attempting to shout over Sadie, who was still singing her heart out. He chose not to pay much attention to this, evidently hoping that replacing his hand about half an inch above its destination would satisfy her. "I'm sorry," she shouted, her voice dripping phony pleasantry, "but have I somehow given you the impression that I am a complete slag?"

"What?" He looked confused. "Come on, you know you want it." His hand had found its way back down.

Jess's head was spinning. Ordinarily, she'd have blurted some clever retort and been gone before he'd even realized she was angry. Unfortunately, the multiple bottles of beer seemed to have dulled her senses, and it took a few seconds before a solution blurred its way to the forefront of her mind. "I've got a boyfriend. Sorry."

"Yeah? Where is he? It don't matter if he ain't here."

At that exact second, she spotted one Maxwell Carrigan a few feet away, dancing near, but no longer _with_ Prudence. Relief hit her with the force of a tidal wave, and she didn't think. She just acted. "It's alright, Max, love, I'm over here." She yelled, freeing herself from the Dance Partner from Hell, and hurrying toward him. He seemed to hear her a few seconds later, and when he turned toward her, there was amusement and confusion evident in his eyes. She willed him not to speak, widening her eyes in an obvious hint, gyrating closer. Prudence moved slightly closer and mouthed, "What's going on?" Jess shook her head, tilting it toward DPfH, who was heading near. Prudence nodded, but Max still wore a distinctly confused expression.

She lunged forward to whisper her situation into his ear. "Sorry, usually I wouldn't be doing this. It's only, I'm attempting to escape the tosser currently heading toward us with a disturbingly lustful look in his eyes, so do me a huge favor and play along."

"What am I doing, exactly?" He quirked an eyebrow even as he joined her in dance.

"I'm not entirely sure yet. It depends on what _he_ does."

What _he_ would do was apparently stand approximately three feet away from them, watching their every move until the end of the song, despite Prudence's attempts to distract him. Jess caught her eye and shook her head slightly, the meaning clear in her eyes. The girl shrugged and gave up as DPfH made his move the second Sadie switched one of her few ballads. "Hey, dude, mind if I borrow your girl for this song?" He was practically salivating at the prospect.

Max could actually feel Jess shiver at the thought, and he did the only thing that was right. "Sorry, man. I haven't gotten to see her all day, and I miss her." He tightened his arms around her waist to make himself clear, and she relaxed, grateful.

"You sure didn't miss her too much while _I _was dancing with her," he replied obstinately.

Max's reply was decidedly _not_ PG rated, and Jess cut the men off before things could get violent. "Look, I've already told you that I'm not interested. I'm sure there's some poor, deluded single bird out there just dying for someone like you to sweep her off her feet. I wouldn't doubt it if she was drunk, actually, but that should just make your work all the easier, shouldn't it?" _Okay. Fuel? Check. Fire? Check. You stupid, stupid chit, _she admonished herself as he charged drunkenly toward her.

"Bitch," he snarled, and Max yanked her out of the way, blocking her from view and opening his mouth to speak.

"What's going on over here?" Jude demanded, having wended his way through the crowd, apparently toward the bar, with Lucy in tow.

"Nothing," blurted Jess immediately, flushing. _Three and a half hours in this country and look what I've already done._ "Come on, let's just…go sit somewhere." DPfH seemed to realize that it was now two guys to one, and there were three female eyewitnesses who could start a whole boatload of trouble should he decide to start beating the crap out of anyone. Muttering various profanities under his breath, he slunk into the shadows.

"Well, _that _was intense," Prudence commented cheerfully.

"What was intense?" Jude asked, eyebrows rising.

"Some stupid wanker who just wanted a quick shag and wouldn't leave me alone, that's all. It's fine now, love."

"Yeah? How'd you get out of that?"

She glanced at Max, smiling. "Well, Max helped rather a lot, I must say."

He grinned back lazily. "And don't you forget it," he replied jokingly.

"I'm sure you won't let me," she teased, "but really, I do owe you."

"Yes. Yes you do." But he winked, and she was fairly sure he wasn't intending to hold her to it.

**AN (2): I know, it's shorter and probably not as good, but it's all I've got at the moment, and I just wanted to put it up. It's pretty much a character development chapter. Even so, let me know how it is.**


	3. Chapter 3

AN: A million apologies for the wait! I love all of my reviewers (especially TakeMeOrLeaveMe2010, whose reviews and PMs have been extremely helpful. You may find a line you semi-recognize in here, although I _swear _it was totally coincidental). Inconsistancies, as alwaysartistic license, thanks. :) Also, I'm not as perverted as this chapter would have me seem...Maxie-poo and my dear OC have minds of their own.

"Is she alright?"

"I'm sure she is, hon, it's probably just jet lag."

"It wouldn't surprise me. She doesn't sleep much."

Jess groaned softly at the myriad of voices above her. "Wuzzappen?" she tried, burying her face deeper into…whatever. In fact, she couldn't quite remember where she was, and only one of the voices sounded even vaguely familiar, but she didn't really care about anything but sleep. More sleep would make the headache go away.

"Oh, no, we woke her up."

A rather curious pause. "No, actually, I don't think so."

"Hmmm," she complained, attempting to move her arm to swat at whoever was disrupting her slumber.

"What did I tell you, Jude?" The female voice sounded exasperated, but slightly amused.

Jess, with supreme effort, wrenched her eyes open. "The hell?" She blurted, her words slurred with sleep and brought on because she'd found herself in a room that she thought should probably be familiar, with five other people occupying it.

"You okay, sweet pea?" asked Sadie, leaning toward her slightly.

She massaged her head for a moment, briefly easing her headache and allowing her to remember that she was in New York, in her cousin's apartment. "Yeah. Sorry. Did I fall asleep on the couch or something?"

"Yep," Max replied, rather cheerfully. "We came in from the gig last night, you sat down to take off your shoes and all of a sudden you were out."

"Oh, God, really?" She groaned, dropping her head back down.

"It's alright, hon," Sadie chimed in, "stuff happens."

She looked up again and caught sight of the window. "What time is it? 'Coz I really don't think the sky is a rather lovely shade of pink all the time here."

"Five thirty," JoJo replied apologetically, "and you were sleeping pretty much all day."

"Oh, hell," she murmured, "I didn't…get in the way, did I?"

"No," he assured her, understanding despite her muddled wording, "we don't usually do much during the day anyway."

"Coffee?" Sadie added, brandishing a rather large pot that made Jess's eyes actually water a bit in gratitude.

"Yes, please."

Sadie poured a steaming mug, smiling. "We're probably gonna head out a little later, if you're up to it."

"Yeah? Where to?"

"We hadn't actually gotten that far, but you should come." Prudence answered for Sadie, getting up and plopping onto the couch next to Jess. "So, are you jet lagged or hung over?"

Jess laughed at the girl's directness. "A bit of both, most likely," she replied, taking a long sip of coffee and letting out a relieved breath as the caffeine and sugar made its way down to her stomach. "And…it's quite kind of you, inviting me, but it'd probably be best if I just stayed in. Adjusted to the time change and all that."

"Girl, I don't think _our _internal clocks are anything close to normal," laughed JoJo, "but it's up to you."

She nodded. "I think I'll sit this one out. Don't worry. Go, have fun."

"Okay. The only thing is, if you want food, you should probably come out with us. Ain't much in this place," he warned her.

And Jess's growling stomach quickly won out over her tiredness and hangover headache. "Oh. Well, then, I'll be ready in a few minutes." Lucy laughed, and Jess shot a grin over her shoulder as she padded purposefully toward what was now her room.

When she reemerged a mere five minutes later, Max nearly choked on his beer. "Damn, girl, you move fast."

Jude glared half-heartedly at him, a gesture that clearly did nothing more than amuse Max. Probably, Jess mused, due to the fact that her cousin was obviously shagging Max's little sister. "I'm going to take that as a compliment and ignore the possible insult," she stated decisively as she straightened the strap of her bright red halter top.

He blinked innocently at her. "No idea what you mean."

She smirked. "I thought not."

Sadie, looking amused, cut in suddenly. "We'll bring you back after dinner if you want. If there's anything I understand, it's wantin' to catch up on your beauty sleep."

"If there's anything you _need,_ it's certainly not beauty sleep," Max jumped in, winking in a mock-seductive fashion.

"Oh, please, baby doll, who you think you're kiddin'?" Sadie rolled her eyes, grinned, and returned her attention to Jess.

Jess laughed, running her fingers quickly through her dark waves. (Incidentally, she had decided not to touch them, because upon examining herself in her compact mirror, she decided that they actually looked kind of messy-cute. "Thanks." She managed, somehow, to restrain herself from adding, 'but I can probably find my way back on my own,' already having learnt that none of the people she was now to live with would accept this. (With the possible exception of Max, who seemed to have no concerns whatsoever, and possibly Prudence, about whom she could decipher almost nothing.)

"Oh, don't worry about it." Sadie waved her off, and they left.

After a fifteen-minute argument about what to eat, everyone simply grabbed fast food and wandered about, looking for a comfortable spot to eat. (Sitting inside, apparently, was just too boring to be considered, which was a totally new thought process to Jess.) Prudence was the one who remembered the nearby docks, and she and Jess hurried toward them immediately. Upon their arrival, the two threw themselves down, giggling delightedly at the pleasant breeze and the light dusting of sand that covered their eating place. Lucy followed close behind, Jude momentarily forgotten.

Jess popped a French fry into her mouth and peered briefly around at her surroundings. "I really like it here," she proclaimed, before flopping onto her back and leaving her burger temporarily unwatched.

Lucy immediately pulled it closer to the group, saying quickly, "Sorry…it's just that I know my brother, and leaving food unattended is _not _a good idea."

Jess sat up on her elbows. "Ha. Thanks."

As if by magic or some uneaten-food-sensing superpower, Max came sliding across the dock and reached for Jess's burger. "You gonna eat this?"

"Put my food _down_, you pillock," Jess ordered laughingly, hurling a fry at his head. "How could you possibly have finished yours already?"

"I haven't," he replied, all casual innocence, "but if you're not gonna eat it, there's no sense in letting it go to waste."

She grabbed the burger from him immediately, making a show of taking a huge bite. "I'm eating it."

JoJo, who had been watching this occur, called over, "Oh, leave the poor girl alone, man." He paused. "Though it don't look like she needs much help dealin' with you." At this, he sent Jess a crooked grin.

She snorted, but then her heart skipped a beat with an unwelcome realization. "Oh, _bugger_. I'm such a sodding…I never told you last night, you two were bloody brilliant!" She tended to slide more into her own vernacular when feeling particularly emotional.

Sadie laughed. "Thanks, hon."

"Forget it. You were asleep." JoJo commented, stealing one of Sadie's fries on the sly and shoving it into his mouth.

"I was going to eat that," she informed him, but the corners of her mouth twitched, making it obvious that she was only messing around.

"Sorry," he replied, pouting a little.

Jess turned back to Lucy and Prudence (Max had clearly grown bored and returned to his previous conversation…or whatever…with Jude), and all three immediately burst into hysterical laughter. "I told you," panted Lucy finally.

"I know, I know," she managed in reply.

When they had finally all calmed down, Pru attempted a bite of her burger, and, Jess, sensing opportunity, blurted, "You gonna eat that?"

And they were off again.

…. …. …. ….

When the food was finally finished, Jess's burst of energy had subsided, and she was curled in a tiny ball, listening to Lucy and Prudence bang on about something or other and hoping that everyone would just decide to stay put for a while. "I heard there's this new club around the corner!" Prudence exclaimed, out of nowhere. (Or it seemed that way to Jess, as the last thing she'd actually comprehended had involved seahorses. Or maybe it was potato chips…?) "We should check it out."

"I don't know…" Lucy thought out loud. There was some deeper-voiced muttering that Jess couldn't quite make out, and then Lucy giggled. "Well…maybe it does sound kind of fun."

More affirmative mumbles, and then an incredibly familiar male voice inquired, "Alright, Jess?" Jude.

She opened her eyes blearily, wondering when she'd closed them. "Yeah. A bit sleepy is all."

"Do you want to head home?"

"Mm." She closed her eyes again. "Can't move."

Another voice joined the fray now. "Do I have to sit here and poke you until you wake up?"

She reached out blindly and swatted at the air, feeling very pleased with herself when she managed to make contact with something. Denim, possibly. "Go 'way."

"Nope. I swear, if I have to carry you home, we're gonna have a problem."

She opened her eyes again to glare at the really, really annoying blonde, who had already made good on his promise to start poking her. "Just try it." Really, she should have known better.

"Okay." He shrugged. "I'll meet you guys later." And with that, he picked up the exhausted brunette in a fireman's carry, leaving her to shriek and bang halfheartedly on his back, too tired to put up much of a struggle.

"You sure you don't want us to come?" Lucy offered, but Sadie jumped in instantly.

"No, there's no point to all of us going, really. Unless Jess wants us to."

She gave up with a sigh. "No, no need."

"D'you want someone to stay with you?"

She shook her head, slightly amused by the way it made the ground sway. "Have fun."

She watched the others go, upside down, and she and Max made their way slowly home. She found it strange how slowly they were moving until the others were out of sight and Max spoke. "You know, if I wanted to be a real ass, I could throw you into the lake right now." She gave an indignant squeal and began to pound him on the back again, reenergized by his threats, but he only laughed. "Relax, I was joking."

She pouted. "Wanna put me down now?"

"I don't know. Maybe." He taunted deviously.

Something made her realize, though, that in her current state of extreme tiredness, she wasn't entirely sure she could walk. And therefore, the carrying thing was going to have to do.

When they reached the apartment, Max deposited her casually onto the couch, and she curled up instantly, watching him with curious eyes. "So. Why'd you bring me home?" She wasn't sure what made her ask the question. Actually, the answer was really obvious. But since it was already out of her mouth, she figured she might as well just wait and see what he'd say.

"Because otherwise you were going to fall asleep on the dock." He gave her an amused, _come on, are you serious?_ kind of look that she didn't particularly appreciate.

"Be nice to me," she moaned, covering her eyes with her arm.

"That's a lot less effective than if you have a blanket, you know."

"Then you wanna get me one?" She teased.

"Nope." He dropped down beside her, as heavily as humanly possible.

"But I'm collllld." She sniffled dramatically.

He smirked. "No, you're not, it's 85 degrees out, for God's sake."

"Yes I am." She wiggled closer, putting on her best 'wounded puppy' expression.

He looked down at her and groaned. "Hell, no, do _not_ use that look on me. I _use_ that damn look."

She widened her eyes further and threw in a lip-tremble for effect.

"No." He crossed his arms, much like a stubborn child, and turned away.

"But…but I'm Judey's cousin. 'N he'd get mad at you if I got sick just because you're selfish and you wouldn't get me a blaaanket…" She slurred a little, as she was falling asleep. Again.

Max tilted his head, realizing the slight truth to her statement. "Fine. But you owe me. Again."

"Mmkay. I promise to…answer your questions."

He looked down at her, bewildered. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your _questions_," she repeated, exasperated, "the ones that you want to ask me."

"…Whatever you took, I want some."

"Meh." She swatted at him yet again. "Fine, then, maybe _I _have the questions."

"Maybe I don't want to answer them." He tossed a blanket over her tiny, balled up frame and sat next to her again.

"Too bad." She yawned, then thought for a second. "Don't remember what I wanted to ask you anyway."

He laughed, and then gave in. "Okay, maybe I _do _have one."

"I knew it." She mumbled, a victorious undertone clear in her words.

"Why'd you come here? I mean, why did you want to leave Liverpool?"

She didn't feel like coming up with a happier version of the truth. Why bother? "Parents." She replied. "They wanted me to go to university, and I don't even know what I want to do…and I've wanted to take a year off to find myself since forever, so I figured maybe if I said I was stayin' with Judey they'd let me go."

"Oh, yeah?" He was surprised. For some reason, he'd figured that she had the perfect home life. But the next question seemed natural. "Where would you've stayed if we hadn't had room?"

She scrunched even deeper beneath her blanket. "I wasn't planning to stay with you lot. I just wanted to visit, and I thought I'd find a motel or something that was ridiculously cheap to stay in. But I called Judey 'n he invited me, so…" She gave a tiny shrug. "I'm here."

He looked down at her thoughtfully. She looked younger this way, halfway to dreamland. Part of him—admittedly, the part that usually won out in his life—was telling him that now that he had no more questions and she probably wouldn't be awake much longer anyway, he could just go find the others at that club. God knew getting high or drunk was the best way to not deal with all the crap in his life. But now she was speaking.

"What about you? What brought you here?"

He laughed, surprised by how similar their stories were. Which was, in fact, the only reason he told the truth. "My parents, too. I was going to Princeton, got sick of it, and dropped out. They wouldn't let it go, and I didn't feel like dealing with them anymore. So I left. Lucy's always been their favorite anyway. I get into too much trouble."

She paused, an empathetic silence filling the air between them. And then she spoke again, this time a touch more uncertainly, as if not sure what she was allowed to say, and what she was supposed to ignore. "And then you got drafted."

He blinked. It was the first time since he'd gotten back from his extremely unpleasant experience with Uncle Sam that he'd put a name to the niggling fear in the pit of his stomach. "Yeah."

She opened her eyes at his tone. "I'm sorry." Then she sat up, a little smile crossing her face. "I have an idea."

The mischievousness in her voice made him brighten slightly. "Should I be worried?"

"You, of all people? No."

"Cool." He watched in amusement as she shoved off her precious blanket and tripped a little dazedly into the kitchen. When she returned, she carried a half-full bottle of vodka.

"I know you probably want to catch up with everyone else, but how d'you fancy a drinking game?" And despite the fact that he really wanted to get laid tonight, Max decided that he could wait, at least for a few short rounds of whatever game she wanted to play. Because drinking was always good, and it was obvious that she felt guilty for bringing up his impending departure to Vietnam.

"I'm in," he declared, reaching for the bottle.

She smiled as she opened it, sitting beside him on the couch again. "In that case...never have I ever snogged--kissed, sorry--someone of the same sex." And she pushed it toward him challengingly. He pouted, grabbed it, and took a swig, immediately understanding the game. "Oh, my God, really? Anyone I know?" Her eyes twinkled.

"Maybe." A pause. "Can I use one I've already done if I drink?"

She blinked, pulling her blanket back around her. "I guess. You can't think of anything you haven't done?"

He cackled. "Nah, I just want to see if _you've_ done it."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"Never have I ever had sex in a public place." He cackled again as he drank.

She held out her hand for the bottle. His eyes widened. "Well, I'm impressed. Where?"

She shook her head determinedly, bringing the bottle to her lips. "Only if you tell me who you snogged."

He heaved a gusty sigh. "Okay, you have to know the story or it doesn't make sense."

She grinned, making herself comfortable. "Any time you're ready."

He glared. She waved. "Fine. It was a few days after Jude and I came here, and Sadie was doin' a gig. So we both got rip-roarin' drunk, and then I found this joint in my pocket that we smoked the whole way home...and then...yeah. Stuff happened and there you go. Now _what _were you saying?" He grinned wolfishly.

She gaped at him. "You snogged _Jude_?"

"You drink as much as we did, and then get high, and see what happens to you. Now, I believe you were about to share a certain location..."

"Argh." She flushed. "You're not getting a story."

"Oh, darlin', trust me...I don't need a story."

She smacked him hard on the arm. He raied his eyebrows. "...mmphalmmlbrr."

"I'm sorry, what?" He leaned closer gleefully.

She glared hatefully at him. "I said, a _library_."

He scoffed. "Real romantic."

She folded her arms. "Yeah, Casablanca? Which ever-so-romantic place have _you_ shagged in, then?"

He paused, mentally flipping through his list of places and faces, certain that there was at least one time that beat an effing library. "A park. At sunset." He said at last, triumphant.

"Fancy that--Maxwell Carrigan, closet romantic. What will the others think?"

"They won't, because it wasn't my idea." He shrugged.

"Yeah. Okay." She toyed with a strand of hair, attempting to come up with an embarrassing question. Unfortunately, all that she had at the moment was, "Never have I ever been _caught _shagging in a public place."

He tsked as he took a long swallow. "Unoriginal enough?" She shrugged, and he pondered briefly before exclaiming, "Never have I ever worked in a strip club!" and then looking very pleased with himself, presumably for finding something else that he actually hadn't done...and promptly looking slightly shocked when she pulled the bottle from him.

"I waitressed," she explained. "As in, I brought all of the middle-aged, drunken tossers who enjoyed spending their time and money gawping at stupid slags in g-strings, all of whom hated me by the way, still more alcohol. And getting crap tips." She took another deep sip and laughed. "Bet you're glad you asked."

"Yeah, actually." He, too, drank again, but didn't elaborate. "Why'd you work there if you hated it?"

"I didn't, for a while. It was really easy, and none of the drunken tossers ever looked at me. Plus, there were usually too entranced by the stupid slags in g-strings to order much."

He surveyed her for a second. "Would it be completely inappropriate to tell you that I'm kinda turned on right now?"

She burst out laughing. "By me or the thought of stupid, hateful, g-string-wearing slags?"

He shrugged. "Probably both."

"No." She grinned. "Hey, I don't mean to keep you. If you wanted to go find everyone else, you could."

"I'm drinkin' vodka. Life is good," he deadpanned. He meant this, partially because he didn't feel like moving, partially because the vodka was doing wonders for his mood, and partially because he was having fun playing this ridiculous game. "And it's not like they'll be in any time soon. Unless that was a hint." He grinned crookedly.

"No, no," she replied, "you've woken me up, and now you're going to stay and finish this bottle with me."

"Like I'd ever complain about that." He sipped again. "I think it's your turn."

"Never have I ever gone streaking."

"Not that anyone would mind if you did." He replied, sweeping her with laser-beam blue eyes and winking after yet another drink.

She ignored this in favor of saying, "Yet another drunken escapade? God, Max, what have you_ not _done?" and smirking.

He thought for a second. "Screwed a guy. Screwed _anyone_ in a damn _library_. Worked in a strip club. Been in love."

"Join the club." She cut in, leaning back.

"And yet you're having wild sex in libraries."

"One time!" She exclaimed. "'Sides, do _not_ lecture me, Mr. I-have-to-go-through-a-bloody-list-before-I-can-remember-a-time-when-I-was-romantic!" Clearly, neither was exactly sober. "'Nyway, you're ruining the game. Go."

"Never have I ev-errr...seen Big Ben."

She giggled. "I live in Liverpool, silly. London's close. 'Kay. Whatever. Never have I ever...been told I was a bad kisser."

"That makes two of us then." He winked. "But if you don't believe me, I can show you..." He dropped his voice seductively.

And despite her drunkeness, she squirmed uncomfortably. She probably should have known better than to bring that up, she realized, especially as he was really hot and she actually wouldn't mind snogging him. And even though usually that was all it took for her to kiss someone, sober or not, she didn't think it was a good idea. For some reason. "No need," she squeaked, allowing her hair to fall in front of her face and camoflague her blush. Then, clearing her throat, "Your turn."

Being Max, he noticed the awkwardness in her behavior, and his intoxication made poking fun at her seem irresistably fun. "Never have I ever brought up kissing durning a game of Never Have I Ever because I was so tempted to bang the person I was playing with, because that person was so incredibly sexy and alluring." The above-mentioned intoxication made his words come out slurry and strange, but she understood anyway. Possibly because she was even drunker.

She pushed the bottle away, fixing him with an evil stare. "Never have _I _ever been such a complete and total wanker as to assume that the person with whom I was playing Never Have I Ever, who had casually mentioned kissing simply out of curiosity about whether or not the thing involving kissing was true, was bringing it up out of any desire whatsoever to snog my face off!" (Her friends never could figure out why she alternated between sounding ridiculous and actually smarter than usual while drunk. But...not to digress.) Though Max had been joking, and she at least partially was as well, she couldn't have let him go while he harbored such misconceptions. If that was what they were.

He blinked confusedly. "Huh?"

She groan-sighed. "Me neither."

"Oh." There was a pause as her earlier words sunk into Max's alcohol-soaked mind, and then he cracked up. "I get it now. Touché." And he drank (yet again) from the bottle.

The game progressed, with the two getting even drunker and their never-have-I-evers increasingly ridiculous until at last: "Never have I ever sharted!" Max bellowed, grandly waving the nearly empty bottle in Jess's face.

She laughed herself off the couch. "The hell is a shart?" she shrieked, her head falling back against the bottom part of said couch.

"'S when you fart 'n...or, wait, it's when you..." Max trailed off, looking puzzled. "Can't remember. But it's _really bad,_" he finished gravely, moving his face to within an inch of hers in order to make her understand the complete seriousness of the situation.

"'Kay," she replied quietly, returning his gaze. Then she yawned, effectively shattering whatever drunken moment the two may or may not have been sharing. "'M sleepy," she announced, climbing back onto the couch and falling asleep almost instantaneously.

He stared, surprised, for a second, then shrugged, draped her blanket back over her, and got to his feet. It was time to find that club.

AN2: So, this is basically unedited, and it's late, so it's not getting done. I just wanted to get it up. Reviewers get to Max as their slave for a day... ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Several things. One: I am so completely and utterly _sorry_ about the incredible wait that I put y'all through, and I hope this chapter sufficiently makes up for it, even though all it really does is some more relationship development. On the plus side, next chapter is (drumroll please)...Dr. Robert! Two: It's not edited. At all. I'm sorry about that. Three: If that's not the way the Statue of Liberty thing works...that's okay. Artistic liscence. :) And four, and utterly unrelated: I was just hoping that you amazing, wonderful people might be interested in checking out my RENT fic, Seasons of Love. It's not getting any reviews. Please? Thanks! Love you.**

The days passed by in a haze of gigs, late nights, later mornings, and alcohol-soaked outings—in short, the most fun Jess had had in her entire life. Ever. Still, she had _goals_. Which was why, shortly after Pru's unexpected departure, as the group sat around a table at an all-night café at which they could actually get food for cheap (if Jess batted her eyelashes enough, because the manager had a thing for her), she leaned across the table to JoJo and announced, "I want to see the Statue of Liberty."

"Why?" Max asked blankly. "It's just a statue with about a million tourists in it all the damn time."

"Be_cause_," she replied impatiently, "it's a national landmark. Also, I promised me mum that I'd go, 'n tell her about it in my next letter."

JoJo laughed teasingly. "I'll take you, girl."

"Mm, you know where else we should go?" Sadie added rhetorically. "Trafalgar Square. I think you'd like it, hon." She reached over and patted Jess's hand, grinning, and glanced at Max with raised eyebrows. "Even though it _is _a tourist trap."

"Plus, the more ridiculous you act in those places, the more excited the tourists get, 'coz they think they're seeing _the real New York_." Lucy intoned dramatically, laughing. "We should definitely make a day of it."

Jude arched an eyebrow. "How d'you know that, love?"

"Well…when I first came here, it's kind of how I was." She confessed, cheeks reddening.

Max hooted. "She's right, ya know. I've gotta drop them off there all the time. The stupider people act, the happier they are."

"I didn't know you _went _to work anymore," Jess jibed, nudging his foot under the table. He flipped her off playfully (and inconspicuously, so as not to cause an issue with the others), and she blew him a kiss. "Love you too," she cooed, fluttering her lashes exaggeratedly.

"What'd I miss?" Sadie inquired shrewdly.

"Nothin'," Max answered, pure innocence.

"Anyway," the redhead continued, "I don't have a gig tomorrow night 'coz I've got a meeting the next morning…we can all go. It'll be fun." Jess actually bounced excitedly in her seat at this, making Jude burst into hysterical laughter

True to their word, the whole gang was up and ready to go by one-thirty the next afternoon. (After much playful Sadie-teasing from Max regarding the hour.)

"Ah, shut up," Jess ordered, hurling her left shoe at him.

"I'm hurt, babe," he replied, pouting excessively at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him and slipped her arm through Jude's. "Ready?"

"Ready."

_break_

"You know…" she began, gazing in wonderment at the madness that was Times Square, "if it wasn't so obviously touristy, I'd wish I had a camera. S'pose I'll just send Mum some souvenirs."

JoJo laughed. "You are too funny, girl. Come on."

"Thanks, all." She beamed as they clamored out of Max's taxi (which he had gone into work to get and was planning on leaving in some remote corner somewhere so that no one would think that they were getting a ride), straightening Sadie's leather pants with difficulty.

Taking Lucy's hand at once, Jude suggested, "C'mon, love, let's go get a portrait done."

Lucy's whole face lit up. "Let's both be in it, for once," she teased, reaching up to touch his face.

Jess snorted as she watched them stroll away. "Ah, to be in the throes of young love," she intoned melodramatically, twirling in a wide circle.

Sadie laughed loudly. "What do you think? Want to go check out the local talent?"

"Absolutely." Jess grinned. "You lookin' to add a bloke or something?"

"No need," Sadie replied, grinning harmoniously at JoJo, "but I like to keep my eyes open."

Max brightened as a comment occurred to him, but he got distracted before the first syllable. "Check it out. A tattoo guy."

Jess halted at once. "Catch up in a bit," she announced upon spotting the guy in question.

"What're you doin'?" JoJo raised an eyebrow.

"Getting a tattoo," she replied matter-of-factly. "I've wanted one for ages."

Max blinked, beginning to think that surprise and Jess were one and the same, and that he should probably not even bother _being _surprised anymore. "Yeah? What of?"

"A rose bud," she answered decisively, at once. "You two go—I'll come find you later." She raised her eyebrows at Max. "You come with me…I'm thinking this is going to hurt."

"A little," he conceded. "Although I have to tell you, my guy was a lot less scary-lookin' than him."

She shrugged, wandering in Tattoo Guy's general direction. "I dunno. I think he has a certain…charm. Now, are you coming or not?"

"Yeah, alright." He walked beside her until they had drawn even with the guy, and let her pull ahead.

"Hello, 'ello," she greeted him, flashing a semi-flirtatious grin at him and perching nearby.

"What can I do ya for?" He moved almost indecently close, and she knew that he hadn't mixed up the words unintentionally. Still, she rolled up the leg of Sadie's pants to reveal her right calf.

"A rosebud, just here, if you don't mind." She leaned down and placed her hand over the area.

"Want me to sketch it first, make sure ya like it?"

"That would be lovely." She shot Max a look that clearly conveyed, _Ha! See, he's not so bad._ Max just raised an eyebrow. She was one hundred percent fine, right up until tattoo guy pulled out the needle. _Oh. My. God. _She blanched and clutched at the underside of the stool she was sitting on.

"Don't look at it," Max advised in a low voice, and she turned away obediently, suddenly panicked. Tattoo Guy chose that exact moment to jab the needle into her leg, and she squeezed her eyes shut with a tiny whimper. Instinctively, Max took her hand in his, allowing her to grasp it as tightly as she needed to. When it was finally over, Tattoo Guy handed her a slightly soiled napkin. "Hold this on it for a few minutes. It'll stop the bleeding."

"Brilliant," she managed, letting go of Max's hand and taking the proffered bit of paper. "How much, then?"

"Twenty." He smiled lasciviously at her. "But for you…fifteen."

"Oh…thanks." She smiled. "Just a mo." Slowly, she peeled back the napkin to have a look at her new tattoo. "I love it," she added sincerely before digging into her purse for her money.

"_Very_ nice," Max commented as they walked away, taking an appreciative glance at her toned, still-exposed calf. "He wanted you _bad_, girl."

"Tosser," she snapped, glaring at him. "Why do I always attract the bloody _shaggers?_"

"Shaggers?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Forget it. Let's just go find the others or something."

"Sure." They walked for a few minutes, Jess's head on a constant swivel as she took in the many different activities and people—posters, stalls of kitschy New York souvenirs, tourists, musicians…

"Yeah, we're never going to be able to find them in these crowds," Jess observed, pushing her hair off her forehead.

He chuckled, digging around in his pocket and coming up with a joint. "You're probably right. It's all good. Hey, you got a light?"

"Mm, I think so. Hang on. Ah, here." She struck it and passed it over.

"Thanks." He slipped his arm around her shoulders, taking a long drag. "Want some?"

"Alright. Definitely." She grinned, enjoying the heady, free sensation that came with weed.

"C'mon," he suggested, suddenly feeling much better. Vietnam? What was that again? "Let's check out some of these souvenirs."

"I think you'd look hot in an 'I Heart NY' t-shirt," Jess teased, picking one up at random and holding it up to his body.

He glared at her. "It's pink."

"Exactly," she hooted delightedly.

He growled playfully, pouncing at her and catching her around the waist. She squealed as he began to tickle her. "Take it back."

"I am incredibly…certain that pink would look lovely with your skin tone!" She giggled maniacally and he tickled her harder. "Get off!"

"Not 'til you take it back." He stopped, pulling her closer. "Now, what were you saying?" he whispered, making her shiver.

"No." Doubtless the effect would have been better if her voice hadn't wavered.

"Really?" Slowly, he let his hands drift along her curves.

"Unfair," she whimpered, shoving ineffectually at his arms. "Off."

"Nope." And his refusal was much more believable than she was, because he tightened his grip again.

She went limp. "Alright, alright, I take it back! I in no way meant to insult your very impressive masculinity and I deeply apologize." A sincere widening of the eyes, and he gave in and released her. "Blimey, Max," she gasped, "was all that really necessary?"

"Yes." He smiled playfully and offered her the joint again. She took it, hoping to calm the unexplainable fluttering in her stomach.

"Hello, 'ello." Jude's voice came as a relief, and she turned to beam at him.

"You two get your portrait done?"

"It's wonderful," Lucy gushed, holding it up. "Of course, Jude could have done even better." She smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips. "What have you two been up to?"

"Getting me a tattoo." Jess pivoted her leg around proudly.

"Wow." Lucy admired it, even though she had no desire to get one of her own. "Cool."

"Yeah…hurt like hell, though. C'mon, let's shop." She threaded her arm through Lucy's, needing some distraction from Max before her imagination went any further into overdrive. "I saw a wicked cool pair of feather earrings with your name on them."

_break_

Several hours and a ridiculous amount of deals later, the group, now rejoined by Sadie and JoJo, climbed noisily back into Max's taxi, loaded down with bags. (It really was insane, Jess mused, how many people were willing to cut them deals for merely batting their eyelashes a bit. Though she could hardly blame that one bird that Max had been hitting on…she'd looked like she was about to hit the deck, so to speak.)

"Gotta tell you, Sade," Jess managed, fanning herself. "These pants are bloody killing me."

Sadie laughed. "Yeah, they take some…adjusting."

Max snorted loudly at Sadie's word choice, but Jess cut him off before he could comment. "Shut up and drive, Maxwell."

Jude wrapped an affectionate arm around his cousin. "Are you having fun so far?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "I bought Mum a t-shirt," she announced, holding up the very same tee she'd used to mock Max, a fact which wasn't lost on either one.

"It's pink," Jude observed, and Max broke into hysterics.

"Exactly."

"I feel like we're missing something," JoJo muttered to Sadie, who smirked, but didn't comment.

"I didn't know your Mum would want one."

Jess shrugged. "It's what she's getting. It'll look good on—"

"Jesus!" Max exploded suddenly. "You are _damn _lucky we like you."

"Wh—ah." Jess's jaw dropped as she took in the enormous crowd of people snaking into a jagged line. "Oh, my God."

Good-naturedly, Sadie commented, "No one ever said this wouldn't be interestin'."

"Too true," Jude chimed in.

Jess surveyed the line with narrowed eyes. "We're not going to wait in that."

"I don't think we have a choice," Lucy replied. "Do we even have enough money left to get in?"

"Doubt it." JoJo raised his eyebrows. "These prices are always all jacked up." He looked at Jess. "Sorry, girl. Least you can say you saw it."

She ignored this. "If we snuck up to the front of the line and someone caused a diversion, we could probably get in."

"And then what?" asked JoJo, amused. "The cops find us and kick us out?"

"No…well…not if I distract them." She winked.

"Sounds good," Sadie commented, pushing her riot of curls over her shoulders. "If you're up for it."

Jess just laughed and climbed back out of the taxi. As the others followed, Sadie took the lead, looking deadly serious. Feeling a master plan brewing, no one spoke until Sadie had said her bit. "Oh, my God," the landlady wailed as they reached the end of the pseudo-line. "Where did she go?"

Lucy caught on first. "I thought Jude had her!"

Jude blinked rapidly, attempting to make some sense of what was happening as people began to turn to them curiously. "I, er…Jess told me _she_ had her."

"I said nothing of the sort!" Jess screeched. "I…alright, look, this isn't going to get us anywhere." She looked at the interested group and inquired, "Has anyone seen a little girl, about yay high?" She held a hand a few inches above her hips.

"She has my hair, blue eyes," Sadie added loudly, infusing her voice with desperation.

People were shaking their heads, turning to search for the nonexistent little girl. "Consuela!" Max bellowed, slipping through the crowd. "Consuela, where are you? God, we always tell her not to go off on her own!"

The paternal words were at odds with Max's Playboy appearance and way of life, and Jess fought to choke back her laugh. "Excuse me," she pleaded, and they began the surprisingly short process of cutting through the line. They reached the front in only fifteen minutes, still looking studiously panicked. "D'you mind if we just sneak through? Please? It's…it's her daughter. We can't find her, and she's only five." Jess's voice cracked impressively, and Sadie wiped away a crocodile tear.

"Ma'am, I'm very sorry, but—" the security/ticket seller guy began, but Jess leaned forward.

"Oh, my God! Cody, sweetie, it's been forever!" Jess exclaimed delightedly, leaning forward and brushing his hand lightly with her fingertips.

"I—I'm sorry, I don't know you," he tried confusedly as the rest of the group slipped discreetly into the monument.

Jess let out a wail. "This is the _last _thing I need from you right now, Cody! God, her daughter is _missing_, and now you don't remember what we shared? You don't _remember _me? Come on; please just let me through. We need to find Consuela!"

Looking around in desperation, the guy finally gave in. "Just go."

She found her friends with ease, and the moment that Sadie saw her, the landlady exclaimed, "I think she might be in the crown!"

Looking appropriately horrified and shouting "Consuela!" at random intervals and asking random people if they'd seen a little girl, they reached the highest permitted level quickly.

"It _is_ gorgeous," Sadie confessed as she looked out at the city spread beneath them.

"Amazing," Jess agreed, wishing again for a camera.

"Bet it's better all the way at the top," whispered Max, making her jump. "Come on, the stairs to the crown are this way."

"How're we supposed to get up without anyone noticing?" JoJo inquired.

"We'll manage. It's all easier from here, I'm sure," Jess replied.

"We'll find a way." Max winked at her, and she blushed, even though she wasn't sure why. "C'mon. We'll go first." With that, he grabbed her hand and led her toward the stairs.

"What are you doing?" she demanded breathlessly.

"Making it seem like we're a couple so everyone thinks we're just lookin' for some privacy. They won't look twice." He was so casual about it that she knew that he'd done this before, many times. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to stop thinking.

Lucy watched them go, feeling a mixture of chagrin and amusement. "Anybody want to make a wager about what's goin' on there?" Sadie inquired, reading the blonde's mind.

"Max has a tendency to take things a little too far," she replied, grimacing. "It gets him into a lot of trouble sometimes."

"Jess can take plenty good care of herself, love. No worries," Jude assured her, winding a strand of her hair around his finger.

"Well, I know, but…" Lucy sighed. "Never mind. Let's wait a few minutes before we go."

"Wow," Jess laughed as she ducked under the utterly pointless velvet rope the blocked off the stairs after Max, "you'd think they'd at least have some guards or something."

"That's a damn shame," Max sighed melodramatically, leading her up several flights. "What if we were suicidal or something?"

"Our family members would sue," she elaborated. "Or, hmm. What if we weren't suicidal, but we were so amazed by the beauty of the scenery that we just…slipped?" She jerked forward to emphasize this, bumping the back of his knees and making him trip up a few stairs.

He turned around, looking mischievous, and she instinctively backed away. He pretended to leap at her, and she squealed and shrank against the wall. "Now you're trapped." He smirked. "That wasn't too clever, was it?" She swung her bag up toward his head, purposely aiming only to skim over his hair, and as he ducked, she sprinted past him, giggling the whole way.

"Should we all go?" Sadie inquired. "Or would it be less suspicious to go in twos?"

"We should probably do it in twos…c'mon," JoJo added, beckoning to her.

As Jess and Max burst obnoxiously in on the crown, they woke the ruddy-faced cop who had been slumbering peacefully against the wall. "Hey!" He exclaimed blearily. "You two aren't supposed to be up here!"

Jess turned to an equally stunned Max and widened her eyes, hoping to convey _shut up and let me deal with this_ before blurting out, "_Je ne sais pas que vous dites_."

"Oh, please," the guard scoffed angrily. "You know what I'm saying, now get out of here!" She managed to make her lip tremble convincingly before bursting into rapid-fire French. Anything and everything that popped into her head came hurtling out of her mouth translated, brain-to-mouth filter be damned. It wasn't like the guard had any idea what was going on anyway. Max nodded emphatically every once in a while and repeated the phrases he liked in an offended tone of voice. (She would later reflect that he had somehow managed to choose every inappropriate phrase she had used.) "Alright, alright…alright!" he bellowed, after this had grated sufficiently at his nerves. "Get out!" And he flung his arm toward the exit to illustrate this.

They fled, bumping into Sadie and JoJo almost immediately. Jess pressed a finger to her lips and ushered them back down in silence. Once out of hearing range, she and Max burst into hysterics. "What happened?" Lucy demanded, rushing over.

"He—and—French—but—" Jess sputtered helplessly, doubling over and leaning against a helpless Max (who was leaning against the wall for support).

Sadie blinked. "Come again?"

"You speak French?" Max inquired suddenly.

Jess whacked him on the arm, still laughing. "Clearly, Maxwell."

He raised an eyebrow. "What were you saying, anyway?"

"Anything. Everything."

"_Re_ally?" The innuendo was clear in Max's voice.

"Shut up," Jess suggested. "God, Max."

"Okay," Sadie cut in, "I'm still not getting what happened."

It took them both the entire walk back to the taxi to explain, and the general consensus was that it was just really lucky that Jess spoke French. "He does, too," she said, a little defensively as she gestured to Jude. "We had to learn in secondary, didn't we?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "We actually started in primary, though. That's why we're both fluent."

"I didn't know that." Lucy looked very interested by this tidbit, and Jess laughed and sunk down in her seat.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I know, I know, I take forever. I'm so sorry...but look at it this way: maybe it'll be like my _Wicked _fic, "Notes," and I'll have another chapter up in a few days. I hope so. I meant for this to be the party, but it kind of evolved, and I couldn't resist giving it to you the way it is. :) Please review. Please? Oh...nothing's mine.**

Jess giggled hysterically, tripping in her stiletto-heeled boots as she attempted to walk into the apartment. (Ah, the beauty of being exhausted and going clubbing anyway. And alcohol. Of course.) Lucy, uncharacteristically giddy, trailed behind her, exclaiming, "I can't believe you said that!"

"It's true!" Jess argued, bumping into the wall.

"I know."

"Yeah…" Jess kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the couch. "Hey. Where'd Max go?"

"Last I saw, he was on the staircase."

Her inebriation made her slow on the uptake. "What's he doing on the—" The door slammed against the wall and Max backed in, making out with a gorgeous Asian girl whose crimson nails were tangled in his hair.

"Oh, God," muttered Jude, who had entered ahead of the girls and was currently…well…doing nothing specific while he waited for Lucy to finish talking to Jess and come to bed.

Jess grimaced. "Great. Wish I'd stayed home with Sadie and JoJo now. At least I'd get some bloody _sleep_."

Lucy shot her a sympathetic look as she followed Jude to their room. "Good luck."

"Yeah." Slightly sobered up by the frustrating realization that she was going to have to hear Max banging some random bint all night, she flopped across the couch, burying her head in a pillow in a desperate attempt to block the noises already assaulting her ears. For some reason that she couldn't quite figure out, she couldn't help but feel ridiculously, illogically lonely as she curled up under a blanket.

When she woke the next morning, it was to find Max sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee, with the Asian from the night before glued to his lap. Ignoring this completely, she shuffled over to the stove and peered inside the kettle. "Damn it, Max," she glowered sullenly. "If you're going to boil water…"

"Oops," he replied casually, kissing his way down the girl's neck. She giggled, and Jess pointedly sat at the table, directly across from them so as not to give them any privacy.

"Who're you?" Asia inquired semi-snottily.

"It doesn't matter, love, I'm not exactly going to see you again after today. How about you just call me whatever takes your fancy, yeah?" Pulling out a mug, Jess filled the kettle and placed it back on the stove.

"I should go," Asia told Max, glaring at Jess. "You obviously get _no _privacy around here. Call me."

"Sure," Max replied, though both he and Jess were well aware that he wouldn't. The moment the door had closed behind her, he rounded on Jess. "You are such a bitch."

"And you're an inconsiderate pillock," she snapped, gesturing to the whistling teapot even though her anger had nothing to do with it, really. He ignored this, having found one of Sadie's shirts. Yanking it on, he picked up a hammer and crossed the room. "What the hell are you doing?" Jess demanded.

"Fixing the fan," he growled. "It's effin' annoying. You can just have your damn tea and leave me alone."

"Thanks," she answered dryly, pouring the steaming water into her cup and dunking in a teabag. In Max's defense, she supposed that nothing he could have done would have been right to her. She was exhausted (although that part was just as much his fault as hers, even though she'd made a point of avoiding her room in the hopes that the bloody _sounds_ couldn't travel that far), and that made her more short-tempered than usual.

He snorted in irritation, and she rolled her eyes, abandoning her chair for the corner of the room as far from Max as possible, upon which time she sprawled out across the floor and watched him bang ineffectually on the fan. They sat in stony silence until Sadie sauntered into the whatever room, looking amazing—and wide awake—at eleven am.

"Whoa," Max whistled, abandoning his attempts to fix the fan and looking Sadie up and down. "You're up before two and lookin' _wicked _cool. Who's it for?"

Jess and Sadie exchanged looks, and Jess hoisted her mug at the redhead, silently inquiring if she would like a hot beverage as she simultaneously struggled to push back more Max-induced irritation. Sadie shook her head gratefully and replied, "I have a meeting."

"What, is it a pray-ah meetin'?" His Southern accent was atrocious.

"Yeah, for your twisted soul." Sadie laughed, throwing a wink at the female Limey sprawled out on the ground. "Oh…put my shirt back when you're done," she added to Max, who saluted her obediently.

"Yes, ma'am." Sadie pecked them each on the cheek before breezing from the room, upon which time Max resumed his beating of the fan.

"'S a good look for you, Max," Jess commented innocently, raising her eyebrows. "Maybe you oughta try on her pants next. It's the only way you'll ever get in 'em."

Max's eyebrows shot up even further at her cattiness. "Jealousy is a very unattractive trait."

"I know." She tossed her head. "And I look pretty hot, so I'd say maybe you shouldn't accuse people of things when you don't know what you're talking about." Irritated, she clambered to her feet, dropping her mug onto the table with a loud thud.

"Seems to be bothering you a lot." He was as casual as she was annoyed.

"Maybe I just think you're a wanker for flirting with women who aren't single, and sleeping with women who you have no intention of ever seeing again. What do you make of _that?_"

"See?" He stabbed a finger at her triumphantly. "You're overreacting. Clearly jealous."

She opened her mouth again, but Lucy interceded before there could be any deaths. "Who's overreacting?" she inquired, yanking down on her denim shorts as she wandered in with Jude.

"Me, apparently." Jess replied, stretching. "For the sole reason that I told your brother—truthfully—that he's a slag, and he clearly can't handle the truth."

"Oh." Lucy blinked, appearing bewildered. "Well…can you come here? I need your help with something." Jess nodded and followed her friend, concerned, but the instant the door had shut behind them, Lucy pounced. "What's up with you and Max?"

"What're you on about?" Jess demanded evasively. "I thought you needed my help with something."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Do you have a crush on him or something? It's just…I love him, but you've got to be careful. He has a habit of hurting people and not realizing it."

"I don't!" Jess's denial was so vehement that Lucy stared at her pointedly until she squirmed. "I don't."

"I won't tell. Actually, I sometimes think that he—"

"Luce, I said I don't. And I _know_ he's your brother, and you love him and everything, but I will never fall for a guy who I _know_ is going to hurt me." Jess exhaled sharply and sank onto Lucy's bed. "And he, clearly, is the type who would."

Slightly stunned by her friend's outburst, Lucy stood silent for a moment before replying. "Right. Well, that's settled, then."

Jess groaned. "I'm sorry, Luce. I don't know what's wrong with me today."

"It's okay." Lucy touched her shoulder comfortingly. "Really."

Jess spent the next few hours alternately watching Jude paint and getting guitar lessons from JoJo. "Ugh," she exploded, yanking the strap off her shoulder and giving it back to him. "I'm awful!"

"You're just getting started," he reminded her calmly, surveying her. "What's goin' on, girl? You having a bad morning or something?"

"Yeah," she replied heavily. "Don't worry about it. I'm just being stupid."

"Wanna talk?" His warm brown eyes locked on her face, brimming with concern.

"No." She answered frankly, looking away and pushing her fingers through her still-sleep-knotted hair.

He waited patiently. Silently.

"Yes." A pause. "Maybe." Still, JoJo didn't speak, letting her take all the time she needed. But she was done, getting to her feet and sighing. "I'm off to take a shower, and then I think I fancy a nap. Keep everyone out of the bathroom for me?"

"Of course."

She smiled slightly, giving him a hug. "Thanks."

"If you need anything…" JoJo began, but she hurried from the room before his suggestion could set her over the edge. _It's sleep deprivation_, she told herself repeatedly as she barricaded herself into the bathroom and made the water as hot as she could bear it. She let a few tears escape as she stood under the steaming spray, but she was in no mood for a real crying jag. _What are you even crying for_?, she berated herself, aggravated, and proceeded to make up for it by singing at the top of her voice until the water began to run cool. (At this point having to fight back feelings of extreme guilt for hogging it.) When she was finally done, she climbed out, toweled off, and crawled into bed as quickly as possible.

"Hey, guys!" Sadie exclaimed as she walked in a few hours later. "Anybody up for a party?"

"Sweet." Max opened a bottle of beer and polished roughly half of it off in one gulp. "When?"

"Tonight. That meeting I had…the guy was talking about signing."

"Really?" This was JoJo. He put down his guitar and got to his feet, embracing his girlfriend delightedly. "We've been waiting for a chance like this."

"Hon…" Sadie began uncomfortably, but JoJo, not hearing her, turned to Max.

"Oh. Can you wake Jess up?"

"Why don't you just do it?" Max demanded, hoping to avoid dealing with the brunette's dramatics.

JoJo smirked. "I'm busy. And you're already partway there."

Grumbling under his breath, Max trudged down the hallway. Once he was out of sight, Sadie opened her mouth to explain that by _signing_, Dr. Robert had been rather obvious about not including the Po' Boys, but one look at JoJo's uncharacteristically excited face sent the idea flying. She could probably, she decided, just convince the man that she needed her boys, and if he just listened once more, he'd hear that they already sounded excellent together.

Meanwhile, Max had arrived at Jess's room. Having not been inside it since before Pru had left, he noted many changes to the room. There were still clothes all over the room, but it was, weirdly, not messy—there were articles of clothing hung on the doorknob, on hangers, or laid out flat on the ground as though she planned to wear them soon, or even folded in a corner, as though she'd been putting them away and simply gotten too exhausted to finish. On the sole table that the room contained, she had lined up several different bottles of perfume and what appeared to be the contents of the entire makeup counter at Bloomingdale's. He did a double take as he spotted something he never would have expected—the only thing in the room (that he had seen, at least), in fact, that was truly surprising. A thick, badly worn paperback. He leaned over to read the title—Jane Austen's _Sense and Sensibility._ A piece of paper stuck out of the top of it; she was nearly finished. He glanced over at her bed, childishly wondering if she would look any different to him now. He could barely see her; all but the top of her head was buried under several layers of blankets. Curious, he moved silently closer, gently pushing the covers back just enough to see her face. Her hair was spread freely across the damp cotton of her pillowcase, her face peaceful. It occurred to him suddenly that he'd never seen her so calm. It felt strangely intimate, watching her sleep like this; she looked young, innocent—and beautiful. Her skin was peaches and cream, her cheeks still rosy. As he watched, her full lips parted slightly, and she let out a soft little sigh, her thick lashes fluttering slightly. He jumped and hurriedly backed away, heart racing, he told himself, because he was caught. But she merely mumbled unintelligibly and rolled onto her side so that she was facing him.

He swallowed hard, snapping back to reality. "Jess?" he tried, but his voice was raspy.

Nothing.

He leaned over, shaking her shoulder a little. His original plan had been to simply take away her blankets and/or shout something obnoxious, but he had completely forgotten about the idea. But still, nothing. He cleared his throat. "Come on, wake up. There's a party." He had no idea why he expected this to wake her up. He wasn't speaking any louder than he would if she were awake, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. A lock of her hair had fallen into her face; instinctively, he reached out, tucking it lightly behind her ear.

At that exact moment, her eyes flickered open, still clouded with sleep. "Max?" she managed, voice hazy.

He jumped again, pulling his hand away as though she'd shocked him. "Sadie's home," he replied, clearing his throat again and turning away. "We're going to a party."

She blinked several times, trying to make sense of what he was saying. "A party?"

"Yeah." He picked up her book, flipped aimlessly through it and then set it back down, having not read a single word.

"Wh?" A yawn cut off whatever she'd been about to say.

"Tonight." He offered, still not looking at her.

"No…where?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Some guy might want to sign Sadie."

"Really?" It was the first thing that really got through to her, and she picked her head up at last.

"Yeah," he answered again, finally feeling as though it would be safe to look at her.

She dropped back to the pillow for a moment, and then, with a series of drawn-out stretches, extricated herself from the sheets and blankets. Max's eyes widened as he realized that she was clad in only lingerie, but she didn't seem to notice. She squeaked slightly, stretching again and swinging her legs out of bed. Finally, she stood, her eyes fluttering closed as she experienced the dizziness of a head rush, swaying on her feet. Quickly, he reached out to steady her and she leaned against him, still apparently unaware of her state of undress, until she had regained her balance. "Hey," he said softly as she made to move away, without thinking.

She turned. Her face was mere inches from his, his arms still tight around her waist. Her lips parted again, her breath coming a little shorter than usual. "Yeah?"

"You wake that girl up yet or not?" JoJo shouted suddenly, and she gasped, immediately pulling away.

"I should get ready." She walked away quickly, moving toward her closet.

"Right." He left at once, leaning against her closed door and dropping his head into his hands. _What are you thinking?_ He rubbed his face hard, as if hoping that by doing this, he could become himself again.

Shakily, Jess sat on the floor where she'd been when Max had left. Her heart was still racing, and she could tell that she was flushed. Could it be that he'd been about to kiss her? Did she _want _him to kiss her? She'd told Lucy just this morning that she could never fall for someone like him. But then why could she still feel the warmth of his body pressed against hers, and why did the thought of what had almost been make her pulse race even faster?

She walked down the hallway to the bathroom, still clad in solely her underwear, and splashed cold water on her face. Right. Focus. Party. She'd have to get dressed. Makeup. Shoes. Hair. Leaving the bathroom, she almost knocked directly into Max, who mumbled an apology and moved back to let her pass. Closing the door to her room again, she groaned. What was she doing again?


	6. Chapter 6

**I know it's short, and I'm sorry for that. But it's okay, because (in my humble opinion), there's a thing or two in here that makes up for the length. If I'm wrong, feel free to send me virtual slaps. :) AtU-not mine. Please review, and I love you all! Ooh, those who catch the non-AtU Beatles reference get cookies and hugs.**

For the first time since she'd arrived at Sadie's, Jess wasn't really up for a party. The shower/nap combination had reenergized her, yes, so she no longer felt on the verge of exploding at any random moment. Still, the whole day (including the whole weird situation with Max) had basically served to make her utterly contemplative, a state that was definitely _not _compatible with the wild party that Sadie was predicting. Still, she went about choosing a dress, fluffing her hair, and doing her makeup on autopilot. Just as she slipped her feet into her shoes, a knock came at the door. "You ready, sweetie?" Sadie.

"Uh huh," she managed, tugging distractedly at the short hem of her dress and wandering out to meet everyone.

When they arrived, she snapped back to the present, gawping at her surroundings in astonishment. The entire place was absolutely swarming with people, and completely glow-in-the-dark. She did a double take as she spotted—herself. She glanced behind her at the others, wondering if something in the air was making her hallucinate; no one else seemed to notice, and it was a few more seconds before she realized that the walls were mirrors. Relieved, she looked away from her reflection only to note that the floor was made of tiles that were rapidly changing color. She pushed her hair out of her face, mouth still hanging open, hoping that she didn't look like a complete idiot. Instinctively, she reached out to take hold of someone, uncharacteristically afraid of getting lost in this bizarre place. As soon as she'd done it, though, she flushed, feeling ridiculous, and passed her movement off as another attempt to tug down her skirt. Sadie was talking to a man that Jess had never seen before, whom she assumed was the potential signer, and JoJo was walking away from them, looking angry about something. Following her instincts once again, she trailed after him, but he was moving too fast, and she hit an impenetrable wall of people before she could get anywhere near him.

"What're you doing?" Jude bellowed, appearing, seemingly out of nowhere, from behind her, arm firm around Lucy's waist.

"Trying to follow JoJo. I think he might be upset about something," she shouted, relieved to see that her cousin had managed not to go AWOL on her. Jude shrugged, but before he could speak again, a man was introduced as Dr. Robert (and in whose honor, apparently, this party was being thrown) came strolling through the door. He bounded up onstage, his shoulder-length brown hair bouncing energetically and his straw cowboy hat tipping slightly. She blinked, bewildered, as she took in the bright pink bandana tied around his forehead and the blue-tinted glasses that hid his eyes. She shot a quick glance toward Jude, or where Jude _had _been, at least, because somewhere in between her being grateful for him still being in her line of vision and Dr. Robert coming into the room, he had vanished. She cursed, standing on her toes despite her stiletto heels, hoping to spot him. No luck. She listened halfheartedly as Dr. Robert blathered on, getting only as far as something about eggs and walruses before deciding that this was simply a waste of time and wandering aimlessly away, trying for a less crowded area. Instead, she found a bowl filled with neon pink punch, and a wicked smile spread across her face. God knew what was in it, but she was pretty sure she'd need it if she were going to get through this night. She sipped it thoughtfully, but spit it out almost at once, wincing. "What the hell is in that?" she gasped, not quite sure who she was asking.

"Don't know, but it's f-ing amazing," slurred a random guy with really sexy red hair. Her brow furrowed and she studied him for a moment. Clearly, he was feeling no pain. She needed that, not at all in the mood to deal with her thoughts at the moment. So she downed all of it at once, coughing as it slid bitterly down her throat, making every inch of her body ache like it had never ached before. She was vaguely aware that she had fallen, and she closed her eyes tightly against the spinning room. After what felt like forever, the aching stopped, and she opened her eyes, suddenly buoyant. _Pretty colors_, she thought dreamily, taking in the rainbow splotches dancing across Sexy Hair's face. "Hi," he greeted her, as though they were old friends.

"Hi," she replied, giggling a little and getting to her feet. "'S is really good."

He nodded vigorously, holding out a cupful. "Even better the second time."

"_Re_ally?" She took the cup from him eagerly, and found that he was exactly right. She didn't even feel the burn as she swallowed, and it suddenly tasted more sweet than bitter, a distinction that made the liquid much more appealing. At some point, she lost count of how much she had drunk, and she was dancing wildly with Sexy Hair, who was looking hotter and hotter as time went on. She had just stood up on her toes to kiss him when something collided heavily with her shoulder.

"Sorry," announced a familiar voice, sounding far away and strange. Then again, _everything _sounded kind of far away and strange, so there wasn't really any surprise there. She turned around and glared at the owner of the voice—Max. He blinked, seeming startled to have found her. "Oh."

"Yeah." She tilted her head and stared at him, amused by the fact that there was a large purple-no, green-no, pink-well, whatever, blob on his nose. Sexy Hair still had his arms around her waist, and she teetered in her heels, leaning her weight against him. "Oh." His shirt was half unbuttoned, his hair sticking up in every which direction. Even in her current state, she was pretty sure that he hadn't just been dancing. And it kind of pissed her off. "Can you go 'way now?" she demanded childishly.

"C'mon," he replied, ignoring her question and seizing her hand. Sexy Hair was distracted by something or someone, and didn't even seem to notice her vanish. She didn't really want to go, exactly, but she kind of did, and it was very confusing and made her head swim in a way that was only slightly unpleasant.

"Where're we going?" She wasn't really sure if she'd actually asked the question, or if it had just been in her head. She tripped over her shoes and then, annoyed, bent over and wrenched them off, hurling them over her shoulder without looking back. Max stared at her as though in shock, and she began giggling madly. "Did you try the punch, Maxwell?"

"Hell, yes. It was f-ing amazing," he announced as they finally made it outside.

"Right???" Enthusiastic, she bounced up and down a little, and then proceeded to lose her balance and fall over.

He stared at her, a smirk decorating his face. "Lord, girl, how much did you drink?" She shrugged, still sprawled out on the ground, white dress bright in the darkness. He rolled his eyes, still smiling and held out his hand. "Lightweight," he accused softly as she reached out and took it. She started to stand, but he wasn't exactly sober either, making him less coordinated than usual. He slipped on the damp grass just as she had stood up halfway, tumbling forward and knocking her back over and landing half on top of her. Breathless, she gave a nervous little snicker, feeling her cheeks burn and hoping that he wouldn't notice. "Sorry," he whispered, but he made no effort to move.

Her lips parted as she gazed into his light blue eyes, which were shimmering gorgeously in the moonlight, and she reached up to gently cup his face in her hand. Unconsciously, she let her fingers drift across the soft planes of his face, smoothing the slight creases in his forehead and tenderly tracing his lips. His breathing accelerated, and he reached for her wrist, stopping her. "You're driving me mad," he muttered, and now it was his turn. He slid his hands away from her wrists and up to her shoulders, fingers trailing lightly across her skin; she shivered, and he could feel her heart racing beneath the thin fabric of her dress. Then, ever so slowly, he began to lower his face to hers.

Her eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips to hers, and suddenly, there was nothing in the world but Max. And she couldn't remember where they were, or why they were, or even _who _they were, but she knew that this was perfect. Wonderful, amazing, mind-blowing—and all her troubles suddenly seemed very, very far away.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I am so, _so_ sorry for the long wait. There's no excuse, though I could definitely plead writer's block. Forgive, read and review, and I'll try _really _hard to update sooner next time...I've got a lot of ideas now, so it shouldn't be long. Promise.**

When Jess was finally aware of her surroundings again, the sun was shining cheerily in the type of clear blue sky that seemed too cliché to be real, and she and her friends were sprawled out on the ground, watching an enormous, multicolored tour bus pull away. "Where are we?" Jude inquired, squinting around in abject befuddlement.

"Doesn't matter," Lucy replied, twirling around playfully. "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together."

Jess blinked rapidly at the words, trying both to make sense of them and to figure out why they sounded so familiar. As she did this, however, she couldn't prevent her eyes from sliding involuntarily toward Max. At once, memories of the previous night filled her mind, and a light blush spread across her cheeks. She wasn't at all used to this uncertainty in her relationships. If that was what this was. And if it was, then…then what would they do when he left? She shook her head to clear it. This wasn't like her. _Dwelling _wasn't like her. She hated people who dwelled. She focused her hazel eyes on him, narrowing them against the too bright sunlight. He was leaning against a nearby tree, separated from the rest of them, staring blankly into space and apparently brooding. But he must have felt her eyes, because he looked up and smirked at her. She swallowed every ounce of this stupid uncertainty and held his gaze, arching her eyebrows just slightly in a silent invitation. He tipped his head back slightly, obviously preferring that she come to him, but she just settled more comfortably on the ground, her previously inscrutable stare now holding a challenge. He laughed, shaking his head, but approached. "Last night was fun." His voice was lazy, teasing.

"Yeah." Despite herself, her eyes darted to the ground, and she forced herself to look up again.

He inched closer, his blue eyes lit with amusement. "We should do it again sometime."

"Do what?" she asked, all innocence even though she knew exactly what he was referring to. With effort, she forced herself to breathe slower, willing herself to calm down so her heart wouldn't beat so damn fast. God knew _Max_ would notice if he were having an effect on her.

"This," he breathed, and before she could even think, he had lowered his head to capture her lips with his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hands tangling in his hair, and neither one of them was aware of falling backwards until they were sprawled across the grass. He pulled her closer until their bodies pressed together completely, neither one entirely willing to release the other.

"Agreed," she answered when they finally parted, now making no secret of her ragged breathing.

"Took you two long enough," Jude ribbed playfully from a few yards away. Max flipped him off over his shoulder as he rolled away from her, lacing the fingers of his free hand with hers. "But speaking as a cousin…she could do better." Jess didn't get it, but as it was clearly some kind of inside joke (what with both of them and Lucy bursting into hysterics and all), she let it go. And apparently it didn't really matter, because about five seconds later, he was tackling her again, laughing and brushing his lips in feather-light kisses down her neck.

Lucy was the one to cut it off this time, with the incredibly random exclamation of, "Listen!"

"The hell, Luce?" Max demanded, glaring playfully at his sister.

"Do you hear the music?" she trilled, and before any of them even knew what she was talking about, she had seized Jude's hand and was skipping excitedly down the grassy hill toward the music that Jess, if she strained very hard, could just barely hear.

"Want to go check it out?" she asked, and he snorted.

"Not particularly. I'm making up for lost time."

_Lost time_. The phrase simultaneously managed to give her warm, fuzzy tingles all over her body and terrify her. The first because it sounded like he'd wanted to snog her senseless for a while, the second because there'd be a lot of lost time…soon. Too soon. Still, she really did want to know where the others were going. She bit her lip and quirked an eyebrow. "I'll make it up to you tonight, yeah?" she asked suggestively, nipping at his lower lip.

And the next thing she knew, she and Max were practically _flying _across the grass after them.

_I want you_…

"Prudence!" Jess screeched, wrapping her arms around the diminutive Asian. "Oh my God, love, it's so good to see you!"

"I've missed you guys!" Prudence replied, laughing as she returned the hug. "And _you_, girl, you've got quite a glow. What's the deal?"

"It's me," Max teased, throwing an arm around the Brit. "She realized that she was deeply and madly in love with me and could no longer resist my charms."

"Oh, yeah," she shot back, shoving his arm away and biting back a grin. "I think it was more that he realized I could bag absolutely any bloke I wanted, and he couldn't stand the thought of losing me, so he decided to make it official."

Prudence squealed. "As in, you two are _finally _a thing? God, you couldn't have made it official while I was still hanging around? Took you forever."

Max sighed melodramatically. "Yes, well, she's very stubborn. She fought her feelings as long as she could. It was pretty impressive how long she lasted."

"You're such a wanker. I swear to God, you keep this up, I'll go snog that sexy brunette over there for the rest of the night," she replied without missing a beat, but the mischievous light in her eyes told all that she wouldn't actually have done it.

And, as promised, later that night, she made it up to both of them for all the interruptions they'd endured that morning.

She's so heavy…

Max's last night home found Jess sitting alone in her room, in the center of her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest and her blankets in complete disarray around her. Her eyes were dry, and she had apparently been staring for quite some time, because they stung. A cold sweat coated her entire body, and she wondered why the hell the night was so damn _long_. Finally, giving up completely on any type of sleep, she swung herself out of bed and shuffled halfheartedly toward the kitchen. A blunt and a glass of wine…_that_ was what she needed. She heaved a sigh, digging through Sadie's junk drawer in the dark for her stash and a box of matches. A candle or light was too much trouble when she'd only be in here long enough to take the edge off her decidedly unstable…well, state.

"They're right here." His voice was hoarse, and she jumped, heart hammering in double time in her chest.

"Thanks," she managed when she could breathe again, lighting the blunt with shaking fingers and leaning against the table. He didn't respond, burying his face into his hands with a shuddering sigh. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as the smoke reached her, calming her a little before she spoke. "Max?" He looked up soundlessly, and even in the dark she could see that his eyes were clouded. "Want me to leave?" Her throat closed around the words; even though she hadn't expected to see him here, she was glad she had, and the last thing she wanted to do was leave him to his thoughts. On the other hand…this was Max, which meant that he probably _wanted _to be left alone.

"Please," he rasped. She nodded, shoving the hurt to the back of her mind and taking another drag. But before she could leave completely, his voice reached her again, so soft that she could barely hear it. "Wait." She paused, turning around. "Look," he added, his voice cracking slightly. "I know I'm being an asshole, but…"

"Hey, hey…" Against her better judgment, she rested a hand on his shoulder. "I get it. Don't worry about it."

"You _don't_ get it!" he exploded. "That's the whole _point_. You can't get it. _You _aren't the one who might never be coming home. You, Jude, Sadie, Jo, Lucy…none of you get it. God, and you all keep trying to tell me everything's gonna be fine, _everything's alright_, and you know what? It's not. It's really not." His breathing was fast. Shallow. Whatever mask he'd been hiding behind had shattered, leaving him sitting there, a terrified, desperate man who suddenly looked much smaller than he'd ever looked before.

And that was when Jess knew that there was nothing she could do. Vietnam had taken pieces of Max before he'd even stepped foot on its war-ravaged soil, before he'd ever had to use the gun that would kill men, maybe women, maybe children. And whatever happened to him over there—if he came home—would take still more of him. And none of them had any way of knowing if they'd ever get Max back, whether he lived or not. She bit her lip hard, closing her eyes against the flood of tears that threatened her. God, the last thing he needed was for her to lose it, too. She squeezed his shoulder hard and turned away so he couldn't see the tears that had escaped, carving shimmering trails down her icy cheeks. "I'm gonna go to bed," she managed around the painful lump that clogged her throat. "T-try to get some sleep."

Her tears had dried at last, leaving her emotionally and physically drained, when she heard a creak in the doorway. She feigned sleep, listening closely as Max tiptoed across the room. Soundlessly, he climbed into bed next to her, exhaling heavily as he settled beside her. He was so close that she could feel him shaking slightly, and she moved even closer as though in a dream. As if he wasn't thinking about it, he wrapped an arm tightly around her waist and buried his face into her shoulder, leaving her to struggle against the tears that burnt again behind her closed lids.

She expected to wake up alone, but when she opened her eyes the next morning, he was still there, not even looking peaceful in sleep. Slowly, she reached out to push his sweat-soaked bangs out of his eyes, trying not to think of the nightmares that must have plagued him, and, ever so gently, smoothed the crease between those eyes. He awoke then, and immediately pulled her to him with an intensity that bordered on desperation, and she clung just as tightly, losing herself in his every caress, memorizing the feel of his hands, his lips, the way she felt pressed against his body…

They remained tangled amongst the sheets for a while after they had broken apart, both of them breathing more shallowly than usual, her head resting on his chest and their legs intertwined. He ran his fingers through her hair, staring thoughtfully down at her face, and then, in voice so quiet that she had to rely on the vibrations of his chest to reassure her that he had, in fact, spoken, he whispered, "I'll miss you."

She couldn't look at him, because she'd have broken down. She could feel it waiting there, lying dormant in her chest, and the slightest glimpse of his face at that moment would have set it off. "Ditto," she managed, finally lifting her head to press a gentle kiss to his lips.

"Shit," he muttered a few minutes later. "We gotta get up."

She nodded, rousing herself soundlessly and heading for the door. "Gonna get dressed. Be out in a few." It was the quickest she'd gotten ready in her entire life, probably, seeing as all she did was grab the first pair of jeans and t-shirt she saw and tie her hair back in a messy knot. Sliding her feet into the sandals she'd been wearing the night before, she speed-walked to the kitchen.

Before any of them knew it, they had arrived at the airport and were standing in a tight little circle, Max and his bags at the center. "Hey. Luce." He reached out and tilted her chin until she looked at him. "Remember what I told you, alright? I'm gonna be fine, so quit worrying. You'll make yourself gray." Though his words would have sounded stern, he spoke them with a soft, teasing smile.

"Love you," she whispered.

"Love you back," he murmured, dropping a quick kiss onto her temple and pulling her to him for a tight hug.

"Judey. Watch everybody for me, alright? Paint lots of fruit and shit…I wanna see all your stuff when I get back."

"You have my word, mate," the Limey answered, trying to make his words sound less somber than they actually were. And he, too, gave Max a hug.

He didn't actually speak to Prudence, but wrapped his arms around her for a long moment. She seemed to understand, though no one else did.

To Sadie and JoJo, he simply said, "I swear to God, if you too haven't hit the big time by the time I get back, something's wrong with the world," and accepted their hugs and whispered assurances.

And then he turned to Jess. Again, at first he seemed incapable of speech. He simply gathered her into his arms and pulled her to him so tightly that it was almost hard for her to breathe. He kissed her, and it held the same hint of desperation it had earlier that morning. "I'll miss you," he repeated, still holding her as she leaned her forehead against his.

"I'll miss you too," she said, unable to stop her voice from cracking. And then he set her down, because the disinterested voice on the loudspeaker was saying that his flight was boarding, and he was bidding everyone one last goodbye and one last smile, picking up his bags and walking away. And they were all standing there, in that same, tight-knit circle, watching until Max disappeared.


	8. Chapter 8

A.N: Alrighty, well...this chapter's kind of fillerish, but it's very necessary. I already have a few other scenes written, but not the next chapter, and since I don't know how long it's going to take me, I really wanted to get it up for you all. There are two other musical references in here--cookies for people who find them.

She wasn't exactly sure how long they stood there, staring into the empty space where Max had been, but suddenly there was a taxi, and JoJo's arms were gentle on her shoulders as he steered her toward it. She sat in the far corner of the cab, curled up with her knees pressed to her chest, which was apparently becoming a familiar pose for her, trying not to remember that Max had driven a taxi. Trying not to remember that on the first night they'd met, he'd smuggled her beer into a cab for her, or that he'd driven her to Time's Square and sat with her as she got her tattoo...Unfortunately, this was all decidedly more difficult with Lucy wailing the majority of these things as she sobbed against Jude's chest. And then, without meaning to, she was crying and turning her face toward the window so none of the others would notice.

Prudence crawled across the seat, laying her hand gently on Jess's shoulder. "Hey. You alright?" she whispered. Quickly, Jess rubbed her face and forced a smile. Even now, she couldn't bear letting anyone else see her cry. She'd been dating him, yes, but she hadn't even _known_ Max as long as they had. Pru seemed to know what she was thinking, though, because she shook her head. "You're allowed to cry, you know. He really cares about you." Her observance threw Jess, who just leaned against the girl's shoulder and stayed there for the rest of the ride.

The days passed by, but slowly. She felt pathetic being so unhappy, which only ever succeeded in making her feel worse. So, about a week after Max's departure, she rolled out of bed painfully early, used half a tank of hot water on a boiling hot shower, got dressed and walked determinedly into the kitchen. Jude was awake, staring contemplatively at a cup of chamomile tea, with numerous pieces of good drawing paper in front of him. "My God, you can move!" he greeted her, eyes exaggeratedly huge.

"Screw you," she answered, almost good-naturedly. "I'm going out. Looking for a job."

"A job?" Jude was befuddled. "Where?"

She shrugged. "For the love of God, you act like I ever think anything through before I do it. I have _got _to get out of this house, Judey. The extra money will just be a perk."

He nodded. "Understandable."

"I _know_." She rolled her eyes, took a long sip of his tea, and breezed out the door. She wandered to Katz's first, hoping that since they'd had room for Lucy on their staff, they might possibly have room for her as well…but they weren't looking for anyone new. So she walked on, completely unbothered by her apparent lack of options as she was turned down at numerous other small cafes and stores. Truthfully, it was just nice to have something to do besides mope. She slowed in front of a trashy-looking bar called—dear Jesus—Touch Me, Feel Me, and grinned nostalgically. _"Never have I ever worked at a strip club." _He'd been so proud of himself for that, so surprised when she'd actually taken the bottle. Remembering his amusement made her feel like she should go inside, and even though a very large part of her was screaming that a constant reminder of him probably wasn't the best idea (for the sake of her sanity), the cheesy romantic in her knew that he'd find it funny that she would choose a place like this to work. And she just wanted to feel closer to him. So before she could really think it through, she'd walked inside.

"Well _hel-lo! _How may I…be of service?" The middle-aged balding man who approached her very nearly made her gag, but instead, she pasted on a faux-cheerful smile.

"Hullo 'ello," she replied casually. "You the manager here?"

"Nah, not quite. Why, you lookin' for a job, sweetcheeks?"

She was going to gag, honest to God. She held her breath for a moment, and when she exhaled, she willed herself to be pleasant. "Think I'd like to be a waitress," she managed, as it sunk in that she had no _good _reason for being here besides a slight penchant for masochism that she hadn't known existed until today. "Could you maybe get the manager for me?" _Right_, this was the inside joke thing. Max was the only one who knew about her stint in a strip club, and she was still fairly certain he'd be amused if he could see her right now. _Do it for the stories_, she told herself finally. Something told her he'd need distraction if—_when _he got back. And it was then that the manager appeared. "Holy _shit_. Thomas Wilkins?"

He did a double-take. "Jess Gordon? My God, what are you _doing _here?"

She correctly interpreted his question to mean New York, not the bar. "Been living in the city with some friends," she answered, grinning for real for the first time in what felt like forever. "Why the hell do you own a place that's masquerading as a bar, but is clearly a strip club, called _Touch Me, Feel Me _of all things? Bad name choice, honey…"

He laughed, a light blush suffusing his cheeks. "Hey, you're in here, aren't you? And anyway, it's not really mine. It's Caleb's. I'm just acting manager while he's in bloody Hawaii for the week, the lucky bugger. Incidentally, I'm quite impressed that you can still tell us apart after all these months."

"It's been over a year," she corrected him. "And I never could tell why everyone got so confused. Your eyes are lighter, he's a bit taller…simple, really." She shook her head. "God, I didn't realize how long it's been 'til right now."

"I know, it's so good to see you!" He paused. "But I'm dying to know…what're you doing even looking for a manager at a strip club, let alone this one?"

She giggled. "I'm not an exhibitionist, but I'm looking for a job. Can you afford to take on another waitress?"

"Yeah, actually. We'll take you on. Caleb'll be happy, 'coz I'm sure he's missed you too."

She beamed, delighted. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." He laughed again, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You know what? We're not even really open yet. I'm not needed. I'll take you to brunch, yeah?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Just to be clear…this is a business transaction, yeah?"

"Ouch!" He clutched melodramatically at his chest. "Blunt as ever I see, love. Yes, business transaction, completely innocent catching-up between old friends, absolutely zero awkwardness. You've nothing to worry about."

She smirked without a trace of shame. "Well, that's acceptable then. I know this little deli—Katz's. We could go there. Unless you had somewhere else in mind."

"Nah, sounds good," he agreed easily, letting her lead the way. She shoved the uncomfortable feeling that was slowly encroaching on her mind to the very back of it. This wasn't wrong. He'd just _said _it was a perfectly innocent brunch, and everyone would have to understand that. She sighed heavily as they reached the place, leading him to a booth far from the one they usually occupied. "So how've you and Caleb been?"

"We've been smashing, though I've got to say that I'm surprised that _you're _surprised of our business choices."

"I suppose I'm not," she agreed, sipping at her water.

"You never told me why you wanted to _work_ there, though. I'm sure you could have your choice of about a thousand other places."

She grimaced. "I..need a job, and not many places are hiring. I saw the club, and it reminded me of something that I told my boyfriend a while back, so…"

"Boyfriend, huh?" Thomas leaned a little closer. "You sure he won't mind you working at a strip club?"

The waitress, a pretty redhead who'd often waited on them when they were all together, and was, of course, completely aware of Jess's relationship status, chose this exact moment to walk over. Jess had to fight back a groan when she saw the flicker of suspicion in the woman's eyes. "Hi, guys. What can I getcha?" Her eyes shot to Thomas, and she offered him a polite, but obviously puzzled smile.

Jess forced a smile. "I'd like a grilled chicken salad with ranch on the side, please. Thanks, Liz."

"Roast beef melt, please," Thomas ordered, smiling flirtatiously at her.

"Oh, by the way," Jess added, striving desperately for casual, "Lizzie, this is my old friend Thomas. We're talking a job."

"_You're _getting a job?" Liz teased, suspicion melting away slightly. "Well, I'm mighty impressed. What changed your mind?"

"Desperate need for distraction. Max was deported a couple days ago and all I've been doing is wandering around aimlessly, trying not to depress anyone any further than they already are." She hated having to exploit her feelings this way, but she really didn't want anyone thinking she was slagging around.

"You must miss him something awful, babe," Liz answered, now sympathetic. "But I'd better go place your orders in the kitchen. Good talkin' to you."

Jess pressed her hand to her temples briefly before resuming her conversation with Thomas. "Anyway, yeah. I doubt Max'll mind. Actually, knowing him, he'll think it's bloody hysterical."

"You mean he doesn't know?" Thomas pressed, and she could literally feel her affection for him rapidly dissipating.

"Did you miss the part where I was just telling Liz he got deported a few days ago? He's in 'Nam by now, I highly doubt my choice of occupation is a huge concern at the moment," she snapped curtly.

"Shit, Jess, I'm so sorry."

She shook her head. "Me too, Tom. But there's nothing I can do about it now."

"Right, so the job, then," he said, busily turning his napkin over in his hands and staring uncomfortably at the table.

"Here ya go," Liz announced, smiling with more warmth as she set down their meals, and Jess knew she'd heard, if nothing else, the important part of the conversation.

Once she'd vanished, Jess sighed, "Right. Hours."

"It's all nights—we really open at seven, though the bar's open pretty much all day. We won't need you 'til at least seven, though. If you're willing to start tomorrow, you can. We can get you your uniform and let you check out the layout and everything, and we'll put you on the work schedule for real starting next week. You'll get your schedule whenever your last shift for that week is."

"…Define _uniform_."

He chuckled uncomfortably. "Well…erm…what do you mean?"

She speared a piece of chicken with her fork and waved it at him emphatically. "I _mean_ that if I show up and you try to tell me that you're expecting me to prance around in a g-string and a bra, I will quit immediately."

He looked relieved. "That's the strippers, not you."

"Good. Wages?"

"Minimum wage plus tips. I'm not gonna lie to you, once the show starts, you'll not get many tips. You're working part time, yeah?"

"Yeah. And that's fine. And all I'm expected to do is typical waitress stuff?"

"Right. Good?"

"Good. Thanks." She smiled at him and stabbed another bit of chicken.

"Eh…Jess? About before…you know I'm really sorry, yeah? I just got kind of…I don't know. But I apologize."

"It's not your fault," she answered, relaxing a little. "Here, let's talk about something else."

"You know what…" He squinted at her. "You look like you could use some distraction. Want to go to the cinema on Friday? You won't be working."

"I can't, my friends've got a gig that night and I've promised them I'd go," she answered automatically.

"Next Friday then?"

She stared. "You did just apologize to me for pushing me to talk about my _boyfriend_ who's in _Vietnam_, didn't you?"

"Of course. It'd be like this—a perfectly platonic night out between two old friends who haven't talked in far too long. I wouldn't want to wreck your relationship."

"As if you could," she teased, still not entirely comfortable with the situation. "And I think I'll bring someone along."

"Sounds good," he answered, blue-green eyes entirely innocent.

"Fabulous. I've got to go. See you tomorrow." And with that, she tossed five dollars on the table to cover the cost of her salad and made her escape.

_Because the sky is blue it makes me cry…_

Despite her slight feeling of foreboding regarding her "uniform," Jess was infinitely relieved when it came time for her to go to work the next night. Since Max had left, the atmosphere around the apartment was far too tense—something was clearly up with Sadie, but she was apparently refusing to talk to JoJo about it, which in turn was making him extremely confused; Prudence was rarely around, and when she was, Rita tended to be with her, which meant that neither of the two did much socializing with the other tenants; Lucy had gone out and gotten herself embroiled in an end-the-war student group that both Jess and Jude thought was way too radical, but both knew that bringing _that _up would be a complete disaster in Lucy's current fragile state; also, she was working sick hours at Katz's when she wasn't tirelessly working to bring Max home. All of this made Jude unhappy because he was suddenly spending infinitesimal periods of time with her, which resulted in him trying even harder to paint/draw and then getting frustrated when it didn't turn out the way he pleased. And Jess _still _couldn't sleep properly, damn it.

The whole thing was far too soap-opera-esque for her liking, so with only a quick shout over her shoulder to the others as to her destination, she scrambled out at quarter to six. It was close enough to walk, so she did, taking her sweet time and reveling in her solitariness for once. Even walking obscenely slowly, she arrived at Touch Me, Feel Me by six thirty.

"Hey," Thomas greeted her casually, smiling. "What size're you, love? We've gotta get you a uniform."

"Four," she replied, pulling a face in anticipation.

"Be right back," he sang out, and vanished into the back room only to return a few minutes later with a tiny denim skirt and a light blue v-necked tank top with the name of the club embroidered across the chest in magenta script.

"Are you f---king kidding me?" she demanded, glaring at the garments as though they were poisonous.

He shrugged apologetically. "You probably should've known it'd be something like this, love. All I can do is get you the tank top in a different color."

"Whatever. I like the blue." He was right, she knew…this was almost an exact replica of the outfit she'd worn back home. As she moved toward the back room so she could get changed, she bumped directly into a petite redhead in a g-string and sequined bra. And suddenly, she felt _much_ better about what she was wearing. "Sorry."

The redhead, who was actually quite pretty under the twenty pounds of concealer and eyeliner that she was wearing, scanned Jess from head to foot and wrinkled her nose dismissively. "Who're you?"

"Jess," she answered, smiling with exaggerated politeness. "And yourself?"

"Roxanne," she drawled. "Do you mind getting out of my way? You're going to make me late and I've got to stretch."

"I'm sure you do," she replied, voice dripping with false sweetness.

As she'd expected, the night was an insane blur of running around in platform sandals, trying to remember which were her tables, pleading with the bartender to make her mixed drinks when he was more interested in staring at her cleavage and dealing with his own customers, and juggling trays full of beverages. On the plus side, though, none of her customers spared her more than a few cursory glances, and the tips were pretty decent.

Unfortunately, despite her late nights, her insomnia continued, so that by Friday night, she was exhausted and desperate for a few hours to herself. "Maybe I should stay in," she mused sleepily, letting her favorite scoop necked tee fall from her hands and closing her eyes.

Silence.

She opened them again to stare at Jude, who was looking at her as though she'd just killed his cat. "Jude? Hello? You alright?

He sighed. "Would you mind coming? Please? Lucy's still out doing whatever she does now, and Pru and Rita are always busy anymore." His bitterness was indisputable, but it wasn't as though there was no good reason for it. And anyway, if nothing else, Sadie and JoJo's gig would be a really good distraction. Right? Of course right.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: I'm so, so sorry. I know it's been forever. And this chapter's like depressionville. But it's also pretty important, so you can't exactly skip it. :) Enjoy!**

Jess knew she'd made a mistake the instant she walked into the insanely dark, crowded café. "You want a drink?" Jude bellowed, over the noise of roughly six hundred people, plus the wailings of JoJo's guitar as he warmed up.

She nodded. "Get me the strongest shit he's got. I'll get a seat." He saluted her lazily and wandered off, to her abject relief. Alcohol, and copious amounts of it, was going to be a definite requirement for getting through this night. She could sense it. Instead of wallowing, though, she put herself to the task of finding an actual empty booth, hoping that by the time she'd found it, Jude had at least been able to get the drinks. The booth was in a far corner, and all of the people who were either completely pissed or high as kites who were already dancing, despite the lack of real music, limited the view of the stage. Oh, well. She kicked off her shoes and sprawled out across her side of the booth, closing her eyes. It was surprisingly comfortable, actually.

"Hey, babe, you alright?" She was fairly certain that the owner of the voice was addressing her, mostly because the sound was coming from directly over her head, and someone's hand was on the back of her shoulder. Rather than respond, though, she squeezed her eyes shut even tighter and evened out her breathing so he'd think she was asleep. No such luck. Whoever this oaf was, he was completely polluted, because when he leaned over to glance at her face, she could smell the alcohol coming off of him as though he'd bathed in it. "Hello?"

"What?" she demanded, making her voice groggy in the hopes that doing so would make him go away. Wasn't too difficult.

"You okay?" he continued obliviously. She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to see him through the smoke coming off the blunt he'd just lit, coughed, and tried to move away without being obvious. Ordinarily she wouldn't care, but tonight she wasn't particularly in the mood to piss off someone like him, particularly because she wasn't sure she'd have enough energy to kick his ass if necessary.

"Just fine, thanks." The smile she flashed him betrayed none of the annoyance she felt, and was as devastatingly charming as she could make it in her current mood.

His tongue practically hit the floor. "How 'bout you let me buy you a drink, baby?"

Hiding her wince with extreme effort, Jess quickly began scanning the throngs for her cousin, desperately praying that he appear sometime within the next ten seconds. And either God had decided she'd had enough adversity lately, or He sensed just how very close she was to going over the edge, but there was Jude, clinging to two tall, frosted glasses. "Sorry." She gestured to him with another bright smile. "I'm meeting a friend."

"Damn. Well, shoulda known a girl like you wouldn't be single. Can't blame a guy for trying, can you? See you later. I hope." And with that, he got up and lumbered away. Truthfully, she was surprised by how easily he'd given up, but she certainly wasn't complaining.

"What'd I miss?" Jude inquired, setting her glass in front of her and giving her a curious look, clearly wondering why she was lying down.

"Why is it always the psychotic ones?" she bemoaned, palming herself in the forehead and remaining horizontal.

He arched an eyebrow. "What about the psychotic ones? How you seem to be an extreme magnet for every single one in existence?"

"Ex-actly," she drawled, sitting up with effort and taking an enormous sip of…whatever Jude had gotten her. Whatever it was, it fit her requirements, because it burned like hell going down.

"Let's hear it for Sadie and the Po' Boys, y'all!" the emcee bellowed as he jogged across the stage. Jess summoned up the energy for a weak cheer and then immediately felt guilty and whooped at the top of her lungs. Jude glanced over at her and smirked, but joined in.

It was strange—Sadie and JoJo always had this intense connection that was obvious even from stage. But once they started playing, it was obvious to both Jess and Jude that something was terribly wrong. JoJo looked…bitter, for want of a better word, Jess thought. Even his guitar sounded harsher than normal, as though he was purposely screwing up the chords in an attempt to drown out Sadie's voice.

"What the hell?" Jude mouthed, apparently noticing it too—which meant that it wasn't just her, overreacting as she seemed to be doing to everything else lately, she realized.

She shook her head and moved forward on her seat as though it would help her understand. Onstage, Sadie tossed her hair angrily, channeling her frustration into singing as loudly as she ever had, but before either of the two could even blink, JoJo had strode across the stage and was attempting to wrestle the mic from her, singing with even more pent-up rage than Sadie. "Holy shit," Jess breathed, half-standing as though she was planning to go onstage and try to fix it. Before she could do much more than that, though, Sadie had wrenched the cord free from JoJo's amp and stormed offstage to enormously loud feedback. "I'm going to go talk to her," Jess told Jude, tossing down the rest of her drink in one huge sip and scrambling to her feet to go check on her friend.

Unfortunately... "You can't go through here," the security guard who stood in front of Sadie's makeshift dressing room informed her, crossing his arms.

Jess bit her lip. "Look, I'm a little worried about her. Did you not notice what happened out there?"

"No one's allowed in there," the guard reiterated, narrowing his eyes.

Too tired to argue, she just rolled her own eyes. "Fine. I'll wait for her, then."

"You go right ahead and do that."

But when she wasn't back in ten minutes, Jess was starting to get a little nervous. "I'm going outside. Is that acceptable?" she spat, narrowing her eyes at the security guard.

"I don't care what you do as long as you don't try to get in there," he snarled, jerking his head toward the exit.

She managed to get outside just in time to watch a cab carrying an extremely distraught Sadie disappear around the corner. "Well, fuck," she muttered, frustrated, and stomped back inside. "She's gone, and I've no bloody clue where she's off to," she reported, in response to Jude's confused and concerned expression.

"Let's go home. Hopefully she'll stop there before she does anything rash," he sighed, and she followed him readily.

She was gone, and hadn't even left a note. Jess exhaled loudly and slumped against the wall. Really, things weren't bad enough? Now Sadie and JoJo had to fall apart too?

"Where's Jo, d'you think?" Jude questioned, as though he'd have told her in the midst of his tantrum. As if he'd even seen her.

"I haven't the faintest, Jude. You know what, bugger it all to hell. I'm going to bed. Maybe when we wake up, it'll have been a dream."

"I'll stay up. I want to wait for Luce."

"Right, right. G'night, then."

"G'night," he muttered, burying his face in his hands.

By the time Lucy walked in, he had long since given up on waiting, and was lying in bed alone.

())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())

If Jess had thought that things were bad before, it was nothing compared to the way they were now. Yes, she had a job, and yes, that allowed her to get out of the apartment _every. single. day._ (except Sunday) for three to five hours at a stretch. But waiting on drunkards was (go figure) not always the most fantastic of occupations, and was, in fact, sometimes downright irritating (read: insanely obnoxious). The extra money was good because it meant that paying for rent was no longer even remotely a concern; but it also reminded her that she had spend money that she couldn't use for dates, because hey, look at that, her boyfriend was overseas. Dammit, why did everything have to be such a double-edged sword?

Besides, Jude and Lucy were a total mess, alternately arguing every five seconds and being disgustingly adorable. Sadie was still MIA, which meant that JoJo was a wreck who spent the majority of his time plucking minor chords on his guitar and drinking. Prudence escaped to Rita's whenever possible (which basically meant she pretty much never visited. Ever.), and even though she invited the others to come do things with her, they rarely did so.

When she woke up on Friday, she was beyond relieved to have something different to do. Moping around, writing letters to Max that she knew she was never going to send because he wasn't a letter person, working, and trying to cheer everyone up (herself included) had begun to drive her insane days ago. And besides, she hated the depressing air that hung over everything and everyone like a rain cloud.

She passed the day writing more letters to Max, drinking stupid amounts of tea, and fussing over an outfit that she didn't really care about. And finally, it was time to go.

"Judey…I'm going to the cinema with my boss's brother. You want to come?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Your boss's brother?"

"Excuse you, but what was that tone?"

He lifted his hands defensively. "I'm only asking, Jess. But anyway, I'm taking Lucy out. Sorry, love."

"Shite," she muttered. "Pru home?"

"No, she's at Rita's."

"_Shite_," she repeated emphatically. JoJo hadn't been in the mood to go anywhere since Sadie had left, but she figured she could at least ask. "Where's Jo?"

"Er…sleeping," he responded, wincing.

"Son of a bitch."

"So just don't go," Jude suggested.

Jess sighed. "It's not that I don't trust myself. It's just that I don't want anyone thinking I'm slagging around on Max."

"But do you trust him?"

"I have no reason not to." She rubbed her hands on her dark-wash boot-cut jeans and moved to grab a purse. "I leveled with him the first time we talked." Jude nodded, but still watched her with what she saw as unnecessary somberness as she applied a quick coat of mascara and lip-gloss. "I gotta go," she added, checking the clock. "Be back later."

"Have fun," Jude answered, sounding almost skeptical as he pulled her into a hug.

"Hey," Thomas greeted her, after she'd successfully hailed a taxi (which still tended to be a bit of a mess, as illogical as it was. Every time, she couldn't help thinking that Max should still be here, cracking jokes and letting her sneak alcohol in with her just for the hell of it) and gotten to the theatre. "You look great."

"Thanks."

He glanced around for a moment as though confused. "Thought you were bringing someone."

"I meant to," she told him bluntly. "But I managed to wait too long and everyone found a way to have plans, so it's just me."

"Well, that's fine with me," he replied, unfazed by her rudeness. "Come on, I'll even let you pick the movie."

"So chivalry lives on," she said dryly, pushing her fingers through her hair. "I don't know what's playing. You pick. Just nothing cutesy, yeah?"

He furrowed his brow. "You alright?"

"Sure, sure." She smoothed a placating smile onto her face. "Just not in the mood for romance at the moment, y'know?"

"Right, ah..." He bit his lip, examining the titles. She didn't recognize the one he asked about, but he promised it was a stupid comedy that wouldn't require much thinking at all, so she agreed to it readily.

"I'll go get the food. What d'you want?"

"Medium popcorn, medium soda?"

"Got it," she replied casually, saluting him and heading off toward the snack counter.

When she emerged, he was already waiting for her, and he gallantly took all the food. "What do I owe?"

"As if I know." She rolled her eyes. "It's only a few dollars. Besides, you overpay me. I've got nowhere to spend it all."

"You overwork," he corrected her, narrowing his eyes mock-threateningly. "Do not even argue with me. The least I can do is pay for your ticket."

"I'm not going to win this one, am I?"

"Absolutely not."

"Fine. Now let's go." She checked her watch pointedly. "We're wasting time standing here arguing, and the movie starts in three and a half minutes."

"Specific enough?"

She whacked him on the arm and snatched her ticket. "Don't be an arsehole."

He only smirked and followed her, watching in amusement as she flopped into a seat without bothering to ask where he wanted to sit, and completely disregarded the last few previews in favor of dumping her Junior Mints in with her popcorn. As the opening credits started to roll, she caught him staring and stuck out her tongue. "Can I help you with something?"

"It causes me actual pain to watch you mix that," he revealed, pulling a disgusted face.

She cackled. "You, my dear, are clearly tragically misguided."

The woman in front of them turned to shoot them a cursory glare, and Thomas bit back a laugh. "So why would you do such a thing?" he murmured, lowering his voice and leaning closer so that Jess could hear him.

With the air of one revealing a deeply crucial secret, she glanced around cagily as though checking for eavesdroppers before whispering, "If you do it while the popcorn is still hot, the Junior Mints melt. Sinfully delicious." In the resulting pause as he contemplated her words and fought to keep a straight face, she pulled back and surveyed him gravely, as though to ensure that he understood the severity of her words. He responded by letting out a loud squawk of laughter (at what, apparently, had been a critical and highly depressing plot point, though why depressing things would be in a comedy, he didn't know). The woman from earlier huffed loudly and scooted forward on her chair, as though the few inches of extra space would allow her the peace and quiet she wanted for her movie.

Jess covered her mouth with one hand and cuffed him in the back of the head with the other. "Shut _up_, you pillock, you'll get us kicked out!" Not that she cared. She hadn't had this much fun in days. Weeks.

He blinked innocently. "Like they'll throw this out?" And he pasted on a puppy-dog expression the likes of which were only rivaled by Max's own. _Max_. Her heart fell, and she tipped her head back to stare at the ceiling, in an attempt to control herself before she lost it. The strangest things seemed to be setting her off lately. He leaned closer, worried, and she forced a haughty smirk.

"I simply cannot associate with someone so unsophisticated as yourself."

He smiled, and they both turned to the safety of the movie screen. If he'd discerned the change in her mood, he didn't say anything about it, and she was grateful.

When the credits rolled two hours later, and the house lights slowly began to come up, he smirked and questioned, "Am I permitted to talk to you now, your highness?"

"I think I can accept that."

"Did you like the movie?"

"Very much." He hadn't lied-it had been comprised mostly of stupid humor, with minimal romance or violence...which meant that it had actually been a pleasant sojourn out of her own head. "Did you?"

"Yes. Quite a lot. Are you up for coffee, or shall we just head home?"

"Not coffee." She grimaced, not keen to experience the havoc that caffeine could wreck on her already sketchy sleep patterns. "Something decaffeinated, perhaps."

He laughed. "C'mon, then. I'll buy you a glass of wine."

"No! Jesus! If you don't stop paying for things, I'm not coming." She crossed her arms.

"Fine, you'll buy me a glass of wine, then." At her narrow-eyed glare, he snorted. "We'll buy our own drinks?"

"Better," she acquiesced, following him as he hailed a cab.

After a bit of brandy and some casual conversation, she was feeling deliciously warm and sleepy. "G'night," she yawned, dropping her head onto the table with a dull thud.

"Ah, maybe we should get going..." She groaned, and he chuckled, nudging her. "C'mon, then, love. Doubt they'll want us to sleep here." She grumbled nonsensically, but climbed obligingly to her feet.

())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())(())

"Where were you?" Lucy inquired as Jess wondered through the door.

"A friend of mine took me to the cinema." She had no intention of continuing the conversation, but Lucy trailed after her loosely as she walked to her room.

"Who?"

"My boss's brother. Why?"

Lucy tried to quash the disapproval that she was almost sure was evident on her face, and shook her head. "Just curious."

Jess pulled a worn t-shirt over her head and turned to regard the blonde quizzically. "Just so you know, I did know him. They moved here a few years before I did. So it's not as though he's a stranger."

"I didn't say anything." Her protest was halfhearted.

"If you saw your face right now, you'd know that you didn't have to say it."

"I just think it's interesting that it's barely been two weeks and you're already going out with other guys."

Jess's voice dropped dangerously. "You are _fucking kidding me_."

The other girl lifted her eyebrows, but said nothing.

"Are you seriously accusing me of cheating on Max? What the hell do you call all that time you've been spending with Paco lately, then, hmm? In case you didn't notice, it's practically killing my cousin."

"Paco is working to bring end this war and bring my brother home," Lucy insisted heatedly, "and whatever I can do to help with that, I will. Unlike you, I'm not going out with the first cute guy who shows a little interest just because you can't handle being alone for more than fifteen minutes!"

Jess bit her tongue so hard that she actually tasted blood, in her desperate attempts to keep all her furious retorts at bay. Logic would win this, in the end, she knew. She couldn't let herself lose sight of that. "Shall I put on a habit and refuse to leave the house til he gets home, then? Would that make you happy?"

"That's not what I'm saying. But you sure as hell shouldn't be prancing around in skimpy clothes at strip clubs, batting your eyelashes at the customers and taking up your boss's brother's offer to, what, make you feel better!"

_Ooookay, fuck it._ "You need to mind your goddamn business about where I work, Luce. Because for your information, Max and I have talked about it, and working there gives me a way to feel closer to him. And-" She held up a hand as Lucy opened her mouth to speak again. "No. You do not get to attack me without giving me a chance to defend myself. So as I was saying, waitressing does not require batting my lashes at anyone, and I really don't appreciate the fact that you doubt my ability to be professional. And about Thomas, not that it's any of your concern, but it wasn't a date. He knows about Max, and how much I care about him. He just figured that going to the movies would get my mind off things for a few hours. And by the way, Lucy, have you ever heard of the term _emotional cheating_?"

"Excuse me, but there is nothing inappropriate between Paco and I. I don't know why you're so desperate to find something, but you won't be able to. So we care about the same cause. Only in your mind would that ever be considered cheating, because I think deep down, you know what you're doing is wrong."

"I'll be charitable and ignore that last bit, because you are clearly _fucking_ _insane_. But may I just ask, why do you need to be hanging out at Paco's house until two am? What desperately important thing could you possibly be doing?"

"That's none of your business, but for your information, I am not like you. I don't feel the need to go behind my boyfriend's back, because I am not doing anything wrong! I've been doing paperwork and helping plan peace rallies." She bristled at Jess's derisive snort. "And what do you do?"

"I'm not wasting my time with shaggers who like to pretend they can make a difference. Trust me, LBJ has bigger concerns than your little 'group.'"

"How can you say that?" Lucy's face was red with emotion, eyes sparkling tearfully. "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

Jess knew she should probably feel guilty, but she was so drained that she simply couldn't. "Maybe you should leave."

The slam of the bedroom door echoed around the apartment.

**AN (2): Review!**

**And if you don't hate me entirely, would you mind checking out the poll on my author page? I'd really appreciate it. **


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